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X 



A VOYAGE IN THE 'SUNBEAM' 



GUR HOME ON THE OCEAN FOR 
ELEVEN MONTHS 



MES. BEASSEY 




CAPE BRASSEY \ SMYTH'S SOUND 



ILLUSTRATED 



1891: 

J. W. HENRY, 

St. Louis, Mo. 






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Mrs, C-C. Janes 
Columbus,Ohio. 



DEDICA TION 



TO THE FRIENDS in many climes a?id countries, of the white 
and coloured races, and of every grade in society, who have 
made our year of travel a year of happiness, these pages are 
dedicated by the ever grateful Author. 





NOTE. 

I have to thank Mr. W. Simpson, author of ' Meeting the Sun/ 
for the passages given on pages 341 to 343 referring to the Japanese 
temples and their priesthood. 

The vessel which has carried us so rapidly and safely round 
the globe claims a brief description. She was designed by Mr. 
St. Clare Byrne, of Liverpool, and may be technically defined as a 
screw composite three-masted topsail-yard schooner. The engines, 
by Messrs. Laird, are of 70 nominal or 350 indicated horse-power, 
and developed a speed of io - i3 knots at the measured mile. The 
bunkers contain 80 tons of coal. The average daily consumption 
is 4 tons, and the speed 8 knots in fine weather. The principal 
dimensions of the hull are— length for tonnage, 157 ft.; beam ex- 
treme, 27 ft. 6 in.; displacement tonnage, 531 tons; area of mid- 
ship section, 202 sq. ft. 



A. B. 



TRANSFER 

49 . 

FEB 19 1946 

Serial Record Division 
The Library of Congrew 
ftPf— ,. _ 



PREFACE. 



This volume needs no elaborate preface. A general 
sketch of the vo} T age which it describes was pub- 
lished in the ' Times ' immediately after our return to 
England. That letter is reprinted here as a con- 
venient summary of the ' Sunbeam's ' performances. 
But these prefatory lines would indeed be incomplete 
if they did not contain a well-deserved tribute to the 
industry and accuracy of the author. The voyage 
would not have been undertaken, and assuredly 
it would never have been completed, without the 
impulse derived from her perseverance and deter- 
mination. Still less would any sufficient record of 
the scenes and experiences of the long voyage have 
been preserved had it not been for her painstaking 
desire not only to see everything thoroughly, but 
to record her impressions faithfully and accurately. 
The practised skill of a professional writer cannot 



PRE FA CE. 



reasonably be expected in these simple pages, but 
their object will have been attained if they are the 
means of enabling more home-keeping friends to 
share in the keen enjoyment of the scenes and 
adventures they describe. 



Thomas Brassey. 




CONTENTS. 



CHAFTEB PAGK 

I. Farewell to Old England 3 

II. Madeira, Teneriffe, and Cape de Verde 

Islands 13 

III. Palma to Rio de Janeiro 33 

IV. Rio de Janeiro 46 

V. The River Plate . .67 

VI. Life on the Pampas ....... 81 

VII. More about the Argentine Republic . . .97 

VIII. River Plate to Sandy Point, Straits of 

Magellan 11 1 

IX. Sandy Point to Lota Bay 134 

X. Chili 155 

XL Santiago and Valparaiso 177 

XII. Valparaiso to Tahiti 194 

XIII. The South Sea Islands 211 

XIV. At Tahiti 227 

XV. Tahiti to Sandwich Islands.— Kilauea by Day 

and by Night 254 

XVI. Hawaiian Sports 275 

XVII. Honolulu— Departure for Japan . . . ' . 291 
XVIII. Honolulu to Yokohama 303 



x CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XIX. Yokohama 316 

XX. Kioto, late Miaco . .... 333 

XXI. The Inland Sea 353 

XXII. To Canton up the Pearl River . . . 376 

XXIII. From Macao to Singapore 392 

XXIV. Singapore 408 

XXV. Ceylon 426 

XXVI. To Aden 443 

XXVII. Via Suez Canal 456 

XXVIII. 'Home' 473 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



WOODCUTS IN TEXT 

PAGE 

Cape Brassey : Smyth's Sound .... Title-page 

Portrait of the Author i 

Madeira Fish-carrier 17 

A Cozy Corner 22 

A Palm-Tree in a Garden, Orotava, Teneriffe . . 31 

Tarafal Bay, St. Antonio 37 

Father Neptune 39 

His Doctor (Crossing the Line) 40 

Lulu and her Puppies 41 

Vespers , . . 42 

Botafogo Bay .46 

The Slave Village, Fazenda, Santa Anna . . . . 56 

The Three Navigators 67 

Prairie Dogs and Owls 77 

Devil's Horns 84 

La Calera . . . , . . 87 

Indians at Azul 104 

Lassoing Horses 106 

' Monkshaven' on Fire 112 

Shipwreck Crew coming on Board . , . . . . 115 

Fuegian Weapons 127 

Fuegian Bow and Arrows 129 

Pin for fastening Cloak, made from a Dollar beaten out 131 
Fuegian Boat and Oars 132 



xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Bartering with Fuegians 135 

Thornton Peaks 137 

Glaciers, Snowy Sound 139 

Unfit Bay 144 

Two-Peaked Mountain 145 

Indian Reach 147 

Catching Cape-Piegons in the Gulf of Penas . . .153 

Chilians waiting for the Train 164 

A Fellow Passenger 167 

Baths of Cauquenes . . . . . . . . 171 

Up the Valley towards the Andes 173 

Cacti of the Cordillera 174 

Huasso Huts 175 

Huasso of Chili 176 

Morning Mass at Santiago 177 

What makes Horses go in Chili 181 

Juvenile Scrubbers 195 

Conversation at Sea 197 

Inscription from Easter Island 204 

Tatakotokoa or Clarke Island . . . . . . 208 

Going up the Mast in a Chair 209 

Children looking up 209 

Our First Landing in the South Pacific, Hao or Bow 

Island 214 

Maitea 220 

Maitean Boatman 221 

Quarantine Island, Papeete 226 

Under the Trees, Papeete 227 

Ch^etodon Tricolor . 229 

Ch/Etodon Plagmance 232 

Waterfall at Faataua 235 



LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. xiii 

PAGE 

A Tahitian Lady 247 

Tropic Feathers 251 

Ch^etodon Besantii 253 

Tattoo in the Tropics 256 

Feather Necklace 279 

War Necklace 283 

Ancient War Masks and Costumes from the Museum 

at Honolulu 284 

Chalcedon Imperator 287 

Feathered Cloak and Helmets 294 

The Pali-Oahu 295 

Zeus Ciliaris 301 

Amateur Navigation 308 

Little Redcap 313 

Japanese Boats 315 

Fujiyama, Japan 316 

A Drag across the Sand in a Jinrikisha . . . .327 

Inoshima by a Japanese Artist 328 

.Japanese Boatman 329 

Facsimile of our Luncheon Bill 330 

A Family Group 338 

Wayside Travellers 349 

Arrima. The Village of Bamboo Basket Work . . 357 

The Yacht on Fire 360 

Yoken San or Sacred Mountain, Inland Sea . . .363 

Hurusima, Inland Sea 364 

how we were boarded by chinese and dispersed them . 371 

Chinese Visiting Cards 377 

Pearl River 379 

Bogue Forts 381 

A Home-like Appearance 382 



xiv LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. 

PAGE. 

The French Consulate, Canton 389 

Chinese Foot and Boot 398 

Maharajah of Johore's House 414 

The Pet Manis 417 

Malacca 419 

How the Journal was written 423 

Peacock Mountain, Ceylon 439 

Soumali Indian, Aden 451 

Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb ....... 457 

Beating up the Red Sea 462 

Homeward Bound 473. 

Faldetta, Malta 475 

Armoury in the Governor's Palace, Valetta . . 477 

Tangier 482 

Vasco da Gama 484 

Belem Cloister Gardens 485 

Our Welcome back off Hastings 487 

Home at Last 488 



A VOYAGE IN THE 'SUNBEAM' 

CHAPTER I. 

FAREWELL TO OLD ENGLAND. 

Masts, spires, and strand receding on the right, 
The glorious main expanding on the boiv. 

At noon on July ist, we said good-bye to the friends 
who had come to Chatham to see us off, and began the first 
stage of our voyage by steaming down to Sheerness, saluting 
our old friend the ' Duncan,' Admiral Chads's flagship, and 
passing through a perfect fleet of craft of all kinds. There 
was a fresh contrary wind, and the Channel was as disagree- 
able as usual under the circumstances. Next afternoon we 
were off Hastings, where we had intended to stop and dine 
and meet some friends; but, unfortunately the weather was 
not sufficiently favourable for us to land; so we made a long 
tack out to sea, and, in the evening, found ourselves once 
more near the land, off Beachy Head. While becalmed off 
Brighton, we all — children included — availed ourselves of the 
opportunity to go overboard and have our first swim, which 
we thoroughly enjoyed. We had steam up before ten, and 
again proceeded on our course. It was very hot, and sitting 
under the awning turned out to be the pleasantest occupation. 
The contrast between the weather of the two following days 
was very great, and afforded a forcible illustration of the un- 
certainties, perhaps the fascinations, of yachting. We steamed 



PASSENGERS AND PETS. 



quietly on, past the ' Owers ' lightship, and the crowds of 
yachts at Ryde, and dropped anchor off Cowes at six o'clock. 

On the moi-ning of the 6th a light breeze sprang up and 
enabled us to go through the Needles with sails up and funnel 
down, a performance of which all on board felt very proud, 
as many yachtsmen had pronounced it to be an impossibility 
for our vessel to beat out in so light a breeze. 

We were forty-three on board, all told, as will be seen 
by reference to the list I have given. We had with us, be- 
sides, two dogs, three birds, and a charming Persian kitten 
belonging to the baby. The kitten soon disappeared, and it 
was feared she must have gone overboard down the hawse 
pipe. There was a faint hope, however, that she might have 
been packed away with the new sails, which had been stowed 
in a great hurry the day before. Unhappily she was never 
found again, and the children were inconsolable until they 
discovered, at Torquay, an effective substitute for ' Lily.' 

The channel was tolerably smooth outside the Isle of 
Wight, and during the afternoon we were able to hold on our 
course direct for Ushant. After midnight, however, the wind 
worked gradually round to the W.S.W., and blew directly in 
our teeth. A terribly heavy sea got up; and, as we were 
making little or no progress, it was decided to put in to Tor- 
quay or Dartmouth, and there await a change. We anchored 
in Torbay, about half a mile from the pier, at 8.30 a.m., and 
soon afterwards went ashore to bathe. We found, however, 
that the high rocks which surround the snug little bathing 
cove, made the water as cold as ice. 

Nothing more having been heard of our poor little kitten,. 
we can only conclude that she has gone overboard. Just as 
we were leaving the railway-station, however, we saw a small 
white kitten with a blue ribbon round its neck; and all the 
children at once exclaimed, ' There's our Lily ! ' We made 
inquiries, and found that it belonged to the young woman at 
the refreshment room, who, after some demur, allowed us to 
take it away with us, in compliance with Muriel's anxious 
wish, expressed on her face. 

About ten o'clock we got under way, but lay-to for 



THE CHOPS OF THE CHANNEL. 



breakfast. We then had a regular beat of it down Channel 
— everybody being ill. We formed a melancholy-looking 
little row down the lee side of the ship, though I must say 
that we were quite as cheery as might have been expected 
under the circumstances. It was bright and sunny overhead, 
which made things more bearable. 

Sunday, July gth. — A calm at 2 a.m. Orders were given 
to get up steam; but the new coals from Chatham were slow 
to light, though good to keep up steam when once fairly 
kindled. For four long hours, therefore, we lolloped about 
in the trough of a heavy sea, the sails flapping as the vessel 
rolled. By the time the steam was up so was the breeze — a 
contrary one, of course. We accordingly steamed and sailed 
all day, taking more water on board, though not really in any 
great quantity, than I had ever seen the good ship do before. 
She carries a larger supply of coal and other stores than usual, 
and no doubt the square yards on the foremast make her pitch 
more heavily. We were all very sorry for ourselves, and 
' church,' postponed from eleven until four o'clock, brought 
together but a small congregation. 

On the 8th we were fairly away from Old England, and 
on the next day off Ushant, which we rounded at about 4.30 
p.m., at the distance of a mile and a half; the sea was tremen- 
dous, the waves breaking in columns of spray against the 
sharp needle-like rocks that form the point of the island. The 
only excitement during the day was afforded by the visit of a 
pilot-boat (without any fish on board), whose owner was very 
anxious to take us into Brest, ' safe from the coming storm,' 
which he predicted. In addition to our other discomforts, it 
now rained hard; and by half -past six I think nearly all our 
party had made up their minds that bed would be the most 
comfortable place. 

Two days later we sailed into lovely, bright, warm, sunny 
weather, with a strong north-easterly breeze, a following sea, 
and an occasional long roll from the westward. But as the 
sun rose, the wind increased, and we got rather knocked about 
by the sea. A good deal of water came on board, and it was- 
impossible to sit anywhere in comfort, unless lashed or firmly 



IN THE BAT OF BISCAY. 



wedged in. We were, however, going ten knots through the 
water, on our course, under our new square head canvas; and 
this fact made up for a good deal of discomfort. 

The thirty extra tons of spare sails, spars, and provisions, 
the fifteen tons of water, and the eighty-four tons of coal, 
made a great difference in our buoyancy, and the sea came 
popping in and out at the most unexpected places; mucli to 
the delight of the children, who, with bare feet and legs, and 
armed with mops and sponges, waged mimic war against the 
intruder and each other, singing and dancing to their hearts' 
content. This amusement was occasionally interrupted by a 
heavier roll than usual, sending them all into the lee scuppers, 
sousing them from head to foot, and necessitating a thorough 
change of clothing, despite their urgent protest that sea-water 
never hurt anybody. 

After our five o'clock dinner, however, we very nearly 
met with a most serious accident. We were all sitting or 
standing about the stern of the vessel, admiring the magnifi- 
cent dark blue billows following us, with their curling white 
crests, mountains high. Each wave, as it approached, ap- 
peared as if it must overwhelm us, instead of which, it rushed 
grandly by, rolling and shaking us from stem to stern, and 
sending fountains of spray on board. Tom was looking at 
the stern compass, Allnutt being close to him. Mr. Bingham 
and Mr. Freer were smoking, half-way between the quarter- 
deck and the after-companion, where Captain Brown, Dr. 
Potter, Muriel, and I, were standing. Captain Lecky, seated 
on a large coil of rope, placed on the box of the rudder, was 
spinning Mabelle a yarn. A new hand was steering, and just 
at the moment when an unsually big wave overtook us, he 
unfortunately allowed the vessel to broach-to a little. In a 
second the sea came pouring over the stern, above Allnutt' s 
head. The boy was nearly washed overboard, but he man- 
aged to catch hold of the rail, and, with great presence of 
mind, stuck his knees into the bulwarks. Kindred, our boats- 
wain, seeing his danger, rushed forward to save him, but was 
knocked down by the return wave, from which he emerged 
gasping. The coil of rope, on which Captain Lecky and 



NEARL 2' O VERBOARD. 



Mabelle were seated, was completely floated by the sea. 
Providentially, however, he had taken a double turn round 
his wrist with a reefing point, and throwing his other arm 
round Mabelle, held on like grim death; otherwise nothing 
could have saved them. She was perfectly self-possessed, and 
only said quietly, 'Hold on, Captain Lecky, hold on!' to 
which he replied, ' All right.' I asked her afterwards if she 
thought she was going overboard, and she answered, * I did 
not think at all, mamma, but felt sure we were gone.' Cap- 
tain Lecky, being accustomed to very large ships, had not in 
the least realised how near we were to the water in our little 
vessel, and was proportionately taken by surprise. All the 
rest of the party were drenched, with the exception of 
Muriel, whom Captain Brown held high above the water in 
his arms, and who lost no time in remarking, in the midst of 
the general confusion, ' I'm not at all wet, I'm not.' Happily, 
the children don't know what fear is. The maids, however, 
were very frightened, as some of the sea had got down into 
the nursery, and the skylights had to be screwed down. Our 
studding-sail boom, too, broke with a loud crack when the 
ship broached to, and the jaws of the fore-boom gave way. 

Soon after this adventure we all went to bed, full of 
thankfulness that it had ended as well as it did; but, alas, not, 
so far as I was concerned, to rest in peace. In about two 
hours I was awakened by a tremendous weight of water sud- 
denly descending upon me and flooding the bed. I imme- 
diately sprang out, only to find myself in another pool on the 
floor. It was pitch dark, and I could not think what had 
happened ; so I rushed on deck, and found that, the weather 
having moderated a little, some kind sailor, knowing my love 
of fresh air, had opened the skylight rather too soon; and one 
of the angry waves had popped on board, deluging the cabin. 

I got a light, and proceeded to mop uj), as best I could, 
and then endeavoured to find a dry place to sleep in. This, 
however, was no easy task, for my own bed was drenched, 
and every other berth occupied. The deck, too, was ankle- 
deep in water, as I found when I tried to get across to the 
deck-house sofa* At last I lay down on the floor, wrapped 



8 AN UNCOMFORTABLE NIGHT. 

up in my ulster, and wedged between the foot stanchion of 
our swing bed and the wardrobe athwartship; so that as the 
yacht rolled heavily, my feet were often higher than my head. 
Consequently, what sleep I snatched turned into nightmare, 
of which the fixed idea was a broken head from the three 
hundredweight of lead at the bottom of our bed, swinging 
wildly from side to side and up and down, as the vessel rolled 
and pitched, suggesting all manner of accidents. When 
morning came at last, the weather cleared a good deal, though 
the breeze continued. All hands were soon busily employed 
in repairing damages ; and very picturesque the deck and rig- 
ging of the ' Sunbeam ' looked, with the various groups of 
men, occupied upon the ropes, spars, and sails. Towards 
evening the wind fell light, and we had to get up steam. The 
night was the first really warm one we had enjoyed, and the 
stars shone out brightly. The sea, which had been of a lovely 
blue colour during the day, showed a slight phosphorescence 
after dark. 

1 Jiursday, July ijth. — When I went on deck, at half- 
past six, I found a grey, steamy, calm morning, promising a 
very hot day, without wind. 

About 10.30 a.m., the cry of ' Sail on the port beam ! ' 
caused general excitement, and in a few minutes every tele- 
scope and glass in the ship had been brought to bear upon 
the object which attracted our attention, and which was soon 
pronounced to be a wreck. Orders were given to starboard 
the helm, and to steer direct for the vessel; and many were 
the conjectures hazarded, and the questions asked of the for- 
tunate holders of glasses. ' What is she? ' ' Is there any one 
on board? ' ' Where does she come from? ' ' Can you read 
her name ? ' Does she look as if she had been long abandoned ? ' 
Soon we were near enough to send a boat's crew on board, 
whilst we watched their movements anxiously from the 
bridge. We could now read her name — the ' Carolina ' — 
surmounted by a gorgeous yellow decoration on her stern. 
She was of between two and three hundred tons bui'den, and, 
was painted a light blue, with a red streak. Beneath he* 
white bowsprit the gaudy image of a woman served as a 



BOARDING A WRECK. 



figure-head. The two masts had been snapped short off about 
three feet from the deck, and the bulwarks were gone, only 
the covering board and stanchions remaining, so that each 
wave washed over and through her. The roof and supports 
of the deck-house and the companions were still left standing, 
but the sides had disappeared, and the ship's deck was burst 
up in such a manner as to remind one of a quail's back. 

We saw the men on board poking about, apparently very 
pleased with what they had found ; and soon our boat returned 
to the yacht for some breakers,* as the ' Carolina ' had been 
laden with port wine and cork, and the men wished to bring 
some of the former on board. I changed my dress, and, put- 
ting on my sea boots, started for the wreck. 

We found the men rather excited over their discovery. 
The wine must have been very new and very strong, for the 
smell from it, as it slopped about all over the deck, was almost 
enough to intoxicate anybody. One pipe had already been 
emptied into the breakers and barrels, and great efforts were 
made to get some of the casks out whole; but this was found 
to be impossible, without devoting more time to the operation 
than we chose to spare. The men managed to remove three 
half -empty casks with their heads stove in, which they threw 
overboard, but the full ones would have required special ap- 
pliances to raise them through the hatches. It proved exceed- 
ingly difficult to get at the wine, which was stowed underneath 
the cork, and there was also a quantity of cabin bulkheads and 
fittings floating about, under the influence of the long swell 
of the Atlantic. It was a curious sight, standing on the roof 
of the deck-house, to look into the hold, full of floating bales 
of cork, barrels, and pieces of wood, and to watch the sea 
surging up in every direction, through and over the deck, 
which was level with the water's edge. I saw an excellent 
modern iron cooking-stove washing about from side to side; 
but almost every other moveable article, including spars and 
ropes, had apparently been removed by previous boarders. 

It would have delayed us too long to tow the vessel into 

* Small casks, used for carrying water in boats, frequently spelt 
barricos, evidently from the time of the old Spanish navigators. 



A FLOATING CELLAR. 



the nearest port, 375 miles distant, or we might have claimed 
the salvage money, estimated by the experts at 1,500/. She 
was too low in the water for it to be possible for us, with our 
limited appliances, to blow her up ; so we were obliged to 
leave her floating about as a derelict, a fertile source of danger 
to all ships crossing her track. With her buoyant cargo, and 
with the trade winds slowly wafting her to smoother seas, it 
may probably be some years before she breaks up. I only 
hope that no good ship may run full speed on to her, some 
dark night, for the ' Carolina ' would prove almost as for- 
midable an obstacle as a sunken rock. 

Tom was now signalling for us to go on board again, and 
for a few minutes I was rather afraid we should have had a 
little trouble in getting the men off, as their excitement had 
not decreased; but after a trifling delay and some rather rough 
play amongst themselves, they became steady again, and we 
returned to the yacht with our various prizes. 

A ' Mother Carey's chicken ' hovered round the wreck 
while we were on board, and followed us to the * Sunbeam;' 
and although a flat calm and a heavy swell prevailed at the 
time, we all looked upon our visitor as the harbinger of a 
breeze. In this instance, at least, the well-known sailor's 
superstition was justified; for, before the evening, the wind 
sprang up, and ' fires out and sails up ' was the order of the 
day. We were soon bowling merrily along at the rate of 
seven knots an hour, while a clear starlight night and a heavy 
dew gave promise of a fine morrow. 

Friday, July 14th. — We still have a light wind, right 
aft, accompanied by a heavy roll from the westward, which 
makes it impossible to sit anywhere with comfort, and difficult 
even to read. By 6 a.m. the sun had become very powerful, 
though its heat was tempered by the breeze, which gradually 
increased throughout the day, until, having set all our fore-and- 
aft canvas, as well as our square sails, we glided steadily along, 
in delightful contrast to the uneasy motion of the morning, 
and of the past few days. Under the awning — with the most 
heavenly blue sky above, and the still darker clear blue sea 
beneath, stretching away in gentle ripples as far as the eye 
could reach — it was simnly perfect. 



PRECAUTION AGAIXST DANGER. 



Our little party get on extremely well together, though 
a week ago they were strangers to each other. We are all so 
busy that we do not see much of one another except at meals, 
and then we have plenty to talk about. Captain Lecky im- 
parts to us some of his valuable information about scientific 
navigation and the law of storms, and he and Tom and Cap- 
tain Brown work hard at these subjects. Mr. Fi-eer follows 
in the same path; Mr. Bingham draws and reads; Dr. Potter 
helps me to teach the children, who, I am happy to say, are 
as well as possible. I read and write a great deal, and learn 
Spanish, so that the days are all too short for what we have 
to do. The servants are settling down well into their places, 
and the commissariat department does great credit to the 
cooks and stewards. The maids get on satisfactorily, but are 
a little nervous oft* rough nights. We hope not to have many 
more just at present, for we are now approaching calmer lati- 
tudes. 

In the course of the day, whilst Tom and I were sitting 
in the stern, the man at the wheel suddenly exclaimed ' There's 
land on the port bow.' We knew, from the distance we had 
run, that this could not be the case, and after looking at it 
through the glasses, Tom pronounced the supposed land to be 
a thick wall of fog, advancing towards us against the wind. 
Captain Brown and Captain Lecky came from below, and 
hastened to get in the studding-sails, in anticipation of the 
coming squall. In a few minutes we had lost our fair breeze 
and brilliant sunshine, all our sails were taken flat aback, and 
we found ourselves enveloped in a dense fog, which made it 
impossible for us to see the length of the vessel. It was an 
extraordinary phenomenon.. Captain Lecky, who, in the 
course of his many voyages, has passed within a few miles of 
this exact spot more than a hundred and fifty times, had never 
seen anything in the least like it. As night came on the fog 
increased, and the boats were prepared ready for lowering. 
Two men went to the wheel, and two to the bows to look 
out, while an officer was stationed on the bridge with steam- 
whistle and bell ready for an emergency; so that, in case we 
ran into anything, or anything ran into us, we should at least 



PRECAUTION AGAINST DANGER. 



have the satisfaction of knowing that, so far as were con- 
cerned, it had all been done strictly according to Act of Par- 
liament. 

Saturday, fuly 15th. — Between midnight and 4 a.m. 
the fog disappeared, as suddenly as it had come on. We must 
have passed through a wide belt of it. At 5.30 a.m., when 
Tom called me to see a steamer go by, it was quite clear. The 
vessel was the ' Roman,' and she passed so close to us that 
we made our number, and exchanged salutations with the offi- 
cers on the bridge. 

Towards the afternoon a nice breeze sprang up, and we 
were able to bank fires and sail. 



CHAPTER II. 



MADEIRA, TENERIFFE, AND CAPE DE VERDE ISLANDS. 



Full many a green isle needs must be 
In this wide sea of misery, 
Or the mariner -worn and -wan 
Never thus could voyage on. 



Sunday, July 16th. — Porto Santo being visible on the 
port bow, a quarter of a mile ahead, by 3.55 a.m., this morn- 
ing, our three navigators congratulated themselves and each 
other on the good land-fall they had made. 

It looks like a curious little island, and is situated about 
thirty-five miles north-east of Madeira, with a high peak in 
the centre, of which we could only see the extreme jDoint, 
appearing above the clouds. 

It is interesting to know that it was from his observation 
of the drift wood and debris washed on to the eastern shore 
that Columbus, who had married the daughter of the Gover- 
nor of Porto Santo, derived his first impressions of the exist- 
ence of the New World. Here it was that he first realized 
there might possibly be a large and unknown country to the 
westward ; here it was that he first conceived the project of 



ARRIVAL AT FUNCHAL. 



exploring the hitherto unknown ocean and of discovering 
what new countries might bound its western shores. 

An hour later we saw Fora and its light, at the extreme 
east of Madeira, and could soon distinguish the mountains in 
the centre of the latter island. As we rapidly approached the 
land, the beauty of the scenery became more fully apparent. 
A mass of dark purple volcanic rocks, clothed on the top with 
the richest vegetation, with patches of all sorts of colours on 
their sides, rises boldly from the sea. There are several small 
detached rocks, and one curious pointed little island, with an 
arch right through the middle of it, rather like the Perce 
Rock on the coast of Nova Scotia. We steamed slowly 
along the east coast, passing many pretty hamlets, nestled in 
bays or perched on the side of the hills, and observing how 
every possible nook and corner seemed to be terraced and 
cultivated. Sugar-canes, Indian corn, vines, and many varie- 
ties of tropical and semi-tropical plants, grow luxuriantly in 
this lovely climate. Nearly all the cottages in the island are 
inhabited by a simple people, many of whom have never left 
their native villages, even to look at the magnificent view from 
the top of the surrounding mountains, or to gaze on the sea, 
by which they are encompassed. 

We dropped our anchor in the bay of Funchal at about 
twelve o'clock, and before breakfast was over found ourselves 
surrounded by a perfect flotilla of boats, though none of them 
dared approach very near until the health-officer had come 
alongside and pronounced us free from infection. At this 
moment all are complaining much of the heat, which since 
yesterday has been very great, and is caused by the wind called 
' Este,' blowing direct from the African deserts. It was 79 
in the coolest place on board, and 84 on shore in the shade, 
in the middle of the day. 

The African mail steamer, ' Ethiopia,' last from Bonny, 
West Coast of Africa, whence she arrived the day before 
yesterday, was lying in the bay, and the children went on 



AN AFRICAN CARGO. 15 



board with some of our party to see her cargo of monkeys, 
parrots, and pineapples. The result was an importation of 
five parrots on board the ' Sunbeam; ' but the monkeys were 
too big for us. Captain Dane, who paid us a i - eturn visit, said 
that the temperature here appeared quite cool to him, as for 
the last few weeks his thermometer had varied from S2 to 
96 in the shade. 

We had service at 4 p.m., and 5 p.m. went ashore in a 
native boat, furnished with bilge pieces, to keep her straight 
when beached, and to avoid the surf, for it was too rough for 
our own boats. At the water's edge a curious sort of double 
sleigh, drawn by two oxen, was waiting. Into this we 
stepped, setting off with considerable rapidity up the steep 
shingly beach, under a beautiful row of trees, to the ' Praca,' 
where the greater portion of the population were walking up 
or down, or sitting under the shade of the magnolias. These 
plants here attain the size of forest-trees, and their large 
white wax-like flowers shed a most delightful fragrance on 
the evening air. There were graceful pepper vines too, and 
a great variety of trees only known to us in England in the 
form of small shrubs. This being a festival day, the streets 
were crowded with people from town and country, in their 
holiday attire. The door-posts and balconies of the houses 
were wreathed with flowers, the designs in many cases being 
very pretty. One arcade in particular was quite lovely, with 
arches made of double red geranium, mixed with the feathery- 
looking pepper leaves, while the uprights were covei-ed with 
amaryllis and white arum lilies. The streets were strewn 
with roses and branches of myrtle, which, bruised by the feet 
of the passers-by and the runners of the bullock-sleigh, 
emitted a delicious aromatic odour. 

The trellises in the garden seem overgrown with ste- 
phanotis, mauve and purple j^assion-flowers, and all kinds of 
rare creepers, the purple and white hibiscus shoots up some 
fourteen to sixteen feet in height; bananas, full of fruit and 



1 6 THE GARDEN AT TIL. 

flower, strelitzias, heliotrope, geraniums, and pelargoniums, 
bloom all around in large shrubs, mixed with palms and mi- 
mosas of every variety; and the whole formed such an en- 
chanting picture that we were loth to tear ourselves away. 

A ride of about twenty minutes in the bullock-sleigh up 
a steep hill, by the side of a rocky torrent, whose banks were 
overgrown with caladiums and vines, brought us to our des- 
tination, Til, whence we had a splendid view of the town and 
bay stretching beneath us. During the ascent we passed 
several cottages, whose inhabitants stood airing themselves on 
the threshold after the great heat of the day, and through the 
open doorways we occasionally got a peep into the gardens 
beyond, full of bright flowers and luxuriant with vines, fig- 
trees, and bananas. As we sat in the Terrace Garden at Til 
we enjoyed the sweet scent of the flowers we could no longer 
see, and listened to the cool splash of the water in the foun- 
tain below; whilst Allnutt, with unceasing energy, searched 
amongst the bushes for moths, of which he found a large 
number. 

We jogged down the hill a great deal faster than we had 
come up, stopping only for a short time in the now more than 
ever crowded ' Praca,' to listen to one or two airs played by 
the Portuguese band, before we got back to the yacht at 
about half -past ten. 

Next morning we were off to the fish-market by seven 
o'clock, but it was not a good time for our visit, as there 
had been no moon on the previous night, and, though 
there were fish of various kinds, saw nothing specially 
worthy of notice. The picturesque costumes of the people 
were, however, interesting. We afterwards went to the 
fruit-market, though it was not specially worth seeing, for 
most of the fruit and vegetables ai'e brought in boats from 
villages on the sea-shore; and, as it is necessary to wait 
until the sea-breeze springs up, they do not arrive until 



MARKETING AND BA THING. 



midday. After our walk the children and I went down 
to the beach and bathed, taking care not to go too far out 
on account of the sharks, of which we had been warned. 
We undressed and dressed in tents, not unlike clothes- 
horses, with a bit of matting thrown over them, in which 
the heat was intense. The beach is very steep ; and as one 
gets out of one's depth immediately, indifferent swimmers 
prut on a couple of bladders — which stick out behind their 
backs and produce a strange effect — or else take a bathing- 




man into the water with them. I preferred the latter 
course ; and we all had a pleasant bathe. 

The natives seem almost amphibious in their habits, 
and the yacht is surrounded all day by boats full of 
small boys, who will dive to any depth for sixpence, a 
dozen of them spluttering and fighting for the coin in the 
water at the same time. They will go down on one side 
of the yacht too, and bob up on the other, almost before 
you have time to run across the deck to witness their 
reappearance. 



SLIDING DOWN-HILL, 



The Loo Rock, with its old fortress, close to oar an- 
chorage, forms a picturesque object ; and the scene from the 
yacht, enlivened by the presence of numerous market- 
boats, laden with fruit and vegetables, is very pretty. We 
He about 150 yards from the shore, just under Mr. Danero's 
quinta. The cliff just here is overhung with bougainvillaeas, 
geraniums, fuchsias, aloes, prickly pears, and other flowers, 
which grow luxuriantly quite down to the water's edge, 
wherever they can contrive to find a root-hold. 

After five o'clock tea we rode up the Mount and 
through the woods on horseback, along a road gay with 
masses of wild geranium, hydrangea, amaryllis, and fuchsia. 
We dismounted at a lovely place, which contains a large 
number of rare trees and plants, brought from all parts 
of the world. Here were enormous camellias, as well as 
purple, red, and white azaleas, Guernsey lilies, all growing 
in the greatest profusion. 

Our descent of the Mount, by means of a form of con- 
veyance commonly used on the island, was very amusing. 
At the summit we found basket-work sleighs, each con- 
structed to hold two people, and attended by a couple of 
men, lashed together. Into these we stepped, and were im- 
mediately pushed down the hill at a tremendous pace. The 
gliding motion is delightful, and was altogether a novelty 
to us. The men manage the sleighs with great skill, steer- 
ing them in the most wonderful manner round the sharp 
angles in the zigzag road, and making use of their bare 
feet as brakes when necessary. The turns were occasion- 
ally so abrupt, that it seemed almost impossible that we 
could avoid being upset ; but we reached the bottom 
quite safely. The children were especially delighted with 
the trip, and indeed we all enjoyed it immensely. The 
only danger is the risk of fire from the friction of the steel 
runners against the gravel road. 

After paying a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Blandy, whose 
house is beautifully situated, we dined at the hotel, and 



TO THE GRAN CORRAL. 



afterwards sat in the lovely semi-tropical garden until it 
was time to go on board to bed. 

Tuesday, July \%th. — We were called at 4.30 a.m., and 
went ashore soon after six to meet some friends, with 
whom we had arranged to ride up to the Gran Corral, 
and to breakfast there, 5,000 feet above the level of the 
sea. 

It soon became evident that the time we had selected 
for landing was the fashionable bathing hour. In fact, it 
required some skill on our part to keep the boat clear 
of the crowds of people of both sexes and all ages, who 
were taking their morning dip. It was most absurd to 
see entire families, from the bald-headed and spectacled 
grandfather to the baby who could scarcely walk, all 
disporting themselves in the water together, many of them 
supported by the very inelegant-looking bladders I have 
mentioned. There was a little delay in mounting our 
horses, under the shade of the fig-trees ; but when we were 
once off, a party of eleven, the cavalcade became quite for- 
midable. As we clattered up the paved streets, between 
vineyard and garden walls, ' curiosity opened her lattice,' 
on more than one occasion, to ascertain the cause of the 
unwonted commotion. The views on our way, as we 
sometimes climbed a steep ascent or descended a deep 
ravine, were very varied, but always beautiful. About 
half-way up we stopped to rest under a delightful trellis of 
vines, by the side of a rushing mountain stream, bordered 
with ferns ; then, leaving the vineyards and gardens 
behind us, we passed through forests of shady Spanish 
chestnut trees, beneath which stretched the luxurious 
greensward. 

At ten o'clock we quitted this grateful shade, and 
arrived at the neck of the pass, facing the Gran Corral, 
where we had to make our choice of ascending a conical 
hill, on our left, or the Torrinhas Peak, on our right. The 
latter was chosen, as promising the better view, although h 



THE TORRINHAS PEAK. 



was rather farther off, so we were accordingly seized upon 
by some of the crowd of peasants who surrounded us, and 
who at once proceeded to push and pull us up a steep 
slippery grass slope, interspersed with large boulders. 
The view from the top, looking down a sheer precipice of 
some 1,500 feet in depth into the valley below, was lovely. 
Quite at the bottom, amid the numerous ravines and small 
spurs of rocks by which the valley is intersected, we could 
distinguish some small patches of cultivated ground. 
Above our heads towered the jagged crests of the highest 
peaks, Pico Ruivo and others, which we had already seen 
from the yacht, when we first sighted the island. 

A pleasant walk over some grassy slopes, and two 
more hard scrambles, took us to the summit of the Tor- 
rinhas Peak ; but the charming and extensive view towards 
Camara de Lobos, and the bay and town of Funchal, was 
an ample reward for all our trouble. It did not take 
us long to get back to the welcome shade of the chestnut 
trees, for we were all ravenously hungry, it being now 
eleven o'clock. But, alas ! breakfast had not arrived : so 
we had no resource but to mount our horses again and ride 
down to meet it. Mr. Miles, of the hotel, had not kept 
his word ; he had promised that our provisions should be 
sent up to us by nine o'clock, and it was midday before we 
met the men carrying the hampers on their heads. There 
was now nothing for it but to organise a picnic on the terrace 
of Mr. Veitch's deserted villa, beneath the shade of camellia, 
fuchsia, myrtle, magnolia, and pepper-trees, from whence 
we could also enjoy the fine view of the fertile valley 
beneath us and the blue sea sparkling beyond. 

Wednesday, July igtk — We were so tired after our 
exertions of yesterday, that it was nine o'clock before we 
all mustered for our morning swim, which I think we 
enjoyed the more from the fact of our having previously 
been prevented by the sharks, or rather by the rumour of 
sharks. 



THE ENGLISH CEMETERY. 21 

We were engaged to lunch at Mr. and Mrs. Blandy's, 
but I was so weary that I did not go ashore until about 
six o'clock in the evening, and then I went first to the 
English cemetery, which is very prettily laid out and well 
kept. The various paths are shaded by pepper-trees, 
entwined with bougainvillaea, while in many places the 
railings are completely covered by long trailing masses of 
stephanotis in full bloom. Some of the inscriptions on the 
tombs are extremely touching, and it is sad to see, as is 
almost always the case in places much resorted to by 
invalids, how large a proportion of those who lie buried 
here have been cut off in the very flower of their youth. 
Indeed, the residents at Madeira complain that it is a 
melancholy drawback to the charms of this beautiful 
island, that the friendship frequently formed between 
them and people who come hither in search of health, 
is in so many cases brought to an early and sad ter- 
mination. Having seen and admired Mrs. Foljambe's 
charming garden by daylight, we returned on board to 
receive some friends. Unfortunately they were not very 
good sailors, and, out of our party of tv/enty, one lady 
had to go ashore at once, and another before dinner was 
over. 

They all admired the yacht very much, particularly the 
various cozy corners in the deck-house. It was a lovely 
night ; and after the departure of our guests, at about ten 
o'clock, we steamed out of the bay, where we found a nice 
light breeze, which enabled us to sail. 

Thursday, July 20th. — All to-day has been taken up in 
arranging our photographs, journals, &c. &c, and in pre- 
paring for our visit to Teneriffc. About twelve o'clock the 
wind fell light and we tried fishing, but without success, 
though several bonitos or flying-fish were seen. It was 
very hot, and it seemed quite a relief when, at eight 
o'clock in the evening, we began steaming, thus creating 
a breeze for ourselves. 



FIRST VIEW OF TENER1FFE. 



Friday, July 2 1 st. — We all rose early, and were full of 
excitement to catch the first glimpse of the famous Peak 
cf Teneriffe. There was a nice breeze from the north-east, 
the true trade wind, we hope, which ought to carry us down 
nearly to the Line. The morning being rather hazy, it was 
quite ten o'clock before we saw the Peak, towering above 





/■'■- 

A Cosy Corner. 

the clouds, right ahead, about fifty-nine miles off. As we 
approached, it appeared less perpendicular than we had 
expected, or than it is generally represented in pictures. 
The other mountains too, in the centre of the island, from 
the midst of which it rises, are so very lofty that, in spite 
of its conical sugar-loaf top, it is difficult at first to realise 
that the Peak is 12,180 feet high. 



ASCENT OF THE PEAK. 2 J 

We dropped anchor under its shadow in the harbour of 
Orotava in preference to the capital, Santa Cruz, both on 
account of its being a healthier place, and also in order 
to be nearer to the Peak, which we wished to ascend. 

The heat having made the rest of our party rather lazy, 
Captain Lecky and I volunteered to go on shore to see 
the Vice-Consul, Mr. Goodall, and try to make arrange- 
ments for our expedition. It was only 2 p.m., and very 
hot work, walking through the deserted streets, but luckily 
we had not far to go, and the house was nice and cool 
when we got there. Mr. Goodall sent off at once for a 
carnage, despatching a messenger also to the mountains 
for horses and guides, which there was some difficulty in 
obtaining at such short notice. 

Having organised the expedition we re-embarked to 
dine on board the yacht, and I went to bed at seven, 
to be called again, however, at half-past ten o'clock. After 
a light supper, we landed and went to the Vice-Consul's, 
arriving there exactly at midnight. But no horses were 
forthcoming, so we lay down on our rugs in the patio, 
and endeavoured to sleep, as we knew we should require 
all our strength for the expedition before us. 

There were sundry false alarms of a start, as the horses 
prrived by ones and twos from the neighbouring villages, 
accompanied by their respective owners. By two o'clock 
all our steeds, twelve in number, had assembled, and in 
another quarter of an hour we were leaving the town by a 
steep stony path, bordered by low walls. There was no 
moon, and for the first two hours it was very dark. At the 
end of that time we could see the first glimmer of dawn. 
and were shortly afterwards able to distinguish each other 
and to observe the beautiful view which lay below us as we 
wended our way up and up between small patches of 
cultivation. Soon we climbed above the clouds, which pre- 
sented a most curious appearance as we looked down upoi. 
them. The strata through which we had passed was so 



PLAINS OF PUMICE-STONE. 



dense and so white, that it looked exactly like an enor- 
mous glacier, covered with fresh fallen snow, extending for 
miles and miles ; while the projecting tops of the other 
Canary Islands appeared only like great solitary rocks. 

The sun had already become very oppressive, and at 
half-past seven we stopped to breakfast and to water the 
horses. Half-past eight found us in the saddle again, and 
we commenced to traverse a dreary plain of yellowish 
white pumice-stone, interspersed with huge blocks of ob- 
sidian, thrown from the mouth of the volcano. At first the 
monotony of the scene was relieved by large bushes of 
yellow broom in full flower, and still larger bushes of the 
beautiful Retama blanca, quite covered with lovely white 
bloom, scenting the air with its delicious fragrance, and 
resembling huge tufts of feathers, eight or nine feet high. 
As we proceeded, however, we left all traces of vegetation 
behind us. It was like the Great Sahara. On every side a 
vast expanse of yellow pumice-stone sand spread around us, 
an occasional block of rock sticking up here and there, and 
looking as if it had indeed been fused in a mighty furnace. 
By half-past ten we had reached the ' Estancia de los In- 
gleses,' 9,639 feet above the level of the sea, where the 
baggage and some of the horses had to be left behind, the 
saddles being transferred to mules for the very steep climb 
"before us. After a drink of water all round, we started 
again, and commenced the ascent of the almost perpen- 
dicular stream of lava and stone, which forms the only 
practicable route to the top. Our poor beasts were only 
able to go a few paces at a time without stopping to regain 
their breath. The loose ashes and lava fortunately gave 
them a good foothold, or it would have been quite impos- 
sible for them to get along at all. One was only en- 
couraged to proceed by the sight of one's friends above, 
looking like flies clinging to the face of a wall. The road, 
if such it can be called, ran in zigzags, each of which was 
about the length of two horses, so that we were in turns 



ALTA VISTA. 25 



one above another. There were a few slips and slides and 
tumbles, but no important casualties ; and in about an hour 
and a half we had reached the ' Alta Vista,' a tiny plateau, 
where the horses were to be left. 

The expedition so far had been such a fatiguing one, and 
the heat was so great, that the children and I decided to 
remain here, and to let the gentlemen proceed alone to the 
summit of the Peak. We tried to find some shade, but the 
sun was so immediately above us that this was almost 
an impossibility. However, we managed to squeeze our- 
selves under some slightly overhanging rocks, and I took 
some photographs while the children slept. The guides 
soon returned with water-barrels full of ice, procured from 
a cavern above, where there is a stream of water constantly 
running ; and nothing could have been more grateful and 
refreshing. 

It was more than three hours before Tom and Captain 
Lecky reappeared, to be soon followed by the rest of the 
party. Whilst they rested and refreshed themselves with 
ice, they described the ascent as fatiguing in the extreme, 
in fact, almost an impossibility for a lady. First they had 
scrambled over huge blocks of rough lava to the tiny plain 
of the Rambleta, 11,466 feet above the level of the sea, 
after which they had to climb up the cone itself, 530 
feet in height, and sloping at an angle of 44 degrees. 
It is composed of ashes and calcined chalk, into which 
their feet sank, while, for every two steps they made for- 
wards and upwards, they slipped one backwards. But 
those who reached the top were rewarded for their exer- 
tions by a glorious view, and by the wonderful appearance 
of the summit of the Peak. The ground beneath their feet 
was hot, while sulphurous vapours and smoke issued from 
various small fissures around them, though there has been 
no actual eruption from this crater of the volcano since 1704. 
They brought down with them a beautiful piece of calcined 
chalk, covered with crystals of sulphur and arsenic, and 



26 DIFFICULT DESCENT. 

some other specimens. Parched and dry as the ground 
looked where I was resting, a few grains of barley, dropped 
by mules on the occasion of a previous visit, had taken root 
and had grown up into ear; and there were also a few roots of 
a sort of dog-violet, showing its delicate lavender-coloured 
flowers 11,000 feet above the sea, and far beyond the level 
of any other vegetation. 

It was impossible to ride down to the spot where we 
had left the baggage animals, and the descent was conse- 
quently very fatiguing, and even painful. At every step 
our feet sank into a mass of loose scoriae and ashes ; and so 
we went slipping, sliding, and stumbling along, sometimes 
running against a rock, and sometimes nearly pitching for- 
ward on our faces. All this too beneath a blazing sun, with 
the thermometer at 78 , and not a vestige of shade. At last 
Tom and I reached the bottom, where, after partaking of 
luncheon and draughts of quinine, we lay down under the 
shadow of a great rock to recruit our weary frames. 

Refreshed by our meal, we started at six o'clock on our 
return journey, and went down a good deal faster than we 
came up. Before the end of the pumice-stone or Retama 
plains had been reached, it was nearly dark. Sundry small 
accidents occurring to stirrup-leathers, bridles, and girths 
— for the saddlery was not of the best description — delayed 
us slightly, and as Tom, Dr. Potter, Allnutt, and the guide 
had got on ahead, we soon lost sight of them. After an 
interval of uncertainty, the other guides confessed that 
they did not know the way back in the dark. This was 
not pleasant, for the roads were terrible, and during the 
whole of our journey up, from the port to the Peak, we had 
met only four people in all — two goatherds with their flocks, 
and two 'neveros,' bringing down ice to the town. There was 
therefore not much chance of gaining information from any 
one on our way down. We wandered about among low 
bushes, down watercourses, and over rocks for a long time. 
Horns were blown, and other means of attracting attention 



LOST ON THE MOUNTAIN. 



were tried ; first one and then another of the party mean- 
while coming more or less to grief. My good little horse 
fell down three times, though we did not part company, 
and once he went up a steep bank by mistake, instead of 
going down a very nasty watercourse, which I do not 
wonder at his objecting to. I managed to jump off in time, 
and so no harm was done ; but it was rather anxious 
work. 

About ten o'clock we saw a light in the distance, and 
with much shouting woke up the inhabitants of the cottage 
whence it proceeded, promising to reward them liberally if 
they would only show us our way back. Three of them con- 
sented to do this, and provided themselves accordingly with 
pine-torches, wrapped round with bracken and leaves. One, a 
very fine man, dressed in white, with his arm extended above 
his head, bearing the light, led the way ; another walked 
in front of my horse, while the third brought up the rear. 
They conducted us down the most frightfully steep paths 
until we had descended beneath the clouds, when the light 
from our torches threw our shadows in gigantic form upon 
the mists above, reminding us of the legend of the 'Spectre 
of the Brocken.' At last the torches began to go out, one by 
one, and just as the last light was expiring we arrived at a 
small village, where v/e of course found that everybody was 
asleep. After some delay, during which Mabelle and I were 
so tired that we lay down in the street to rest, more torches 
were procured and a fresh guide, who led us into the com- 
paratively good path towards Puerto Orotava. Finally, 
half an hour after midnight, we arrived at the house of the 
Vice-Consul, who had provided refreshments for us, and 
whose nephew was still very kindly sitting up awaiting our 
return. But we were too tired to do anything but go 
straight on board the yacht, where, after some supper and 
champagne, we were indeed glad to retire to our berths. 
This was at 3.30 a.m., exactly twenty-nine hours since we 
had been called on Friday night. 



28 OUR VISITORS. 



It is certainly too long an expedition to be performed 
in one day. Tents should be taken, and arrangements 
made for camping out for one, if not two, nights ; but, in 
the case of such a large party as ours, this would have been 
a great business, as everything must be carried to so great 
a height, up such steep places, and over such bad roads. 
Still, there are so many objects and places of interest, not 
only on, but around, the Peak, that it is a pity to see them 
only when hurried and fatigued. 

Sunday, July 2$rd. — Orders had been given not to call 
us nor to wash decks, and it was consequently half-past 
ten before any one awoke, and midday before the first of 
our party put in an appearance on deck. 

Long before this, the ' Sunbeam ' had been inundated 
with visitors from the shore. We had given a general invi- 
tation to- the friends of the Vice-Consul to come and see 
the yacht ; and they accordingly arrived in due course, 
accompanied in many cases by a large circle of acquaint- 
ances. Those who came first were conducted below and 
all over the vessel, but the number ultimately became so 
great that, in self-defence, we were obliged to limit their 
wanderings to the deck, opening the skylights wide, how- 
ever, to enable them to see as much as possible of the 
saloon and cabins. 

From breakfast-time until prayers, at three o'clock, 
when the yacht was closed for an hour, there was a con- 
stant stream of visitors from the shore. It was a great 
nuisance ; but still it seemed unkind to refuse to allow 
them to see what they had never seen before, and might 
possibly never have an opportunity of seeing again. All 
steamers and sailing-ships, as a rule, go to Santa Cruz ; 
and the fame of our vessel having been spread abroad 
by our visitors of Friday, many of the poor people had 
come from villages far away over the mountains. We 
could not help feeling a certain respect for the determined 
way in which physical infirmity was mastered by curiosity 



BOTANICAL GARDENS. 



for, though many experienced very serious inconvenience 
from the motion of the vessel, they still persevered in their 
examination. 

About five o'clock we went ashore ourselves, and drove 
up to Villa Orotava. The wide road is macadamised and 
marked with kilometre stones, and is planted on either 
side with pepper-trees, plane-trees, and the Eucalyptus 
globulus, which has grown 3 5 metres, or 115 feet, in seven 
years. The hedges are formed of blue plumbago, scarlet 
geranium, yellow acacia, lavender-coloured heliotrope, white 
jasmine, and pink and white roses. 

After driving a few miles, we turned down an old paved 
road towards the sea, and, by dint of a considerable amount 
of shaking, arrived at the celebrated Botanical Gardens, 
mentioned by Humboldt and others. We passed through 
a small house, with a fine dragon-tree on either side, and 
entered the gardens, where we found a valuable collection 
of trees and shrubs of almost every known species. The 
kind and courteous Curator, Don Hermann Wildgaret, ac- 
companied us, and explained the peculiarities of the many 
interesting plants, from Europe, Asia, Africa, America, 
Australia, New Zealand, and the various islands of the 
North and South Pacific and Indian Oceans. The climate 
of Teneriffe is so equable, that the island forms a true 
garden of acclimatisation for the vegetable productions of 
the various countries of the world ; by the judicious ex- 
penditure of a little more money, this establishment might 
be made an important means of introducing to Europe 
many new and valuable plants. At present the annual in- 
come is 5,000 francs, the salary of the Curator being 1,000 
francs. 

A rough drive over paved roads, commanding extensive 
views of sea and rocks, and of some palm-trees on a pro- 
montory in the distance, brought us, at about seven o'clock, 
to the boat, which was waiting our return. We arrived in 
due course on board the ' Sunbeam/ laden with bouquets of 



AN OLD DRAGON-TREE, 



the choicest flowers, and soon after dinner we all retired to 
bed, not having yet recovered from the fatigues of yesterday. 

Monday, July 2^th. — What one gains in the beauty and 
abundance of vegetable life here, one loses in its rapid and 
premature decay. Fruit gathered in the morning is scarcely 
fit to eat at night, and the flowers brought on board yes- 
terday evening were dead to-day at 4.30 a.m. ; whilst some 
of the roses we brought from Cowes lasted until we reached 
Madeira, though it must be owned so many fell to pieces 
that my cabin used to be daily swept with rose-leaves 
instead of tea-leaves. 

We went ashore soon after six, and drove straight to 
the garden of the Marquis de Sonzal, where there is a 
beautiful palm-tree, 101 feet high, the remains of an enor- 
mous dragon-tree, old even in the fifteenth century, besides 
hedges of myrtle, jasmine, and clematis, and flowers of 
every description in full bloom. The dragon-tree is a 
species of dracaena, and looks rather like a gigantic can- 
delabra, composed of a number of yuccas, perched on the 
top of a gnarled and somewhat deformed stem, half palm 
half cactus. Another beautiful garden was next visited, be- 
longing to the Marquis de la Candia, who received us and 
showed us his coffee and plantains in full growth, as well as 
a magnificent Spanish chestnut-tree, coeval with the dragon- 
tree. Out of one of its almost decayed branches a so-called 
young tree was growing, but it would have been thought 
very respectable and middle-aged in any other locality. 

Every one here, as in Madeira, has been more or less 
ruined by the failure of the vines. Most of the large landed 
proprietors have left their estates to take care of them- 
selves ; and the peasants, for the last few years, have been 
emigrating by hundreds to Caraccas, in Venezuela. Things 
are, however, beginning to look up a little now. The cul- 
tivation of cochineal appears to succeed, though the price 
is low ; coffee answers well ; and permission has been ob- 
tained from the Spanish Government to grow tobacco 



COCHINEAL CULTIVATION. 



31 



accompanied by a promise to purchase, at a certain fixed 
rate, all that can be produced. Still, people talk of the 
Island of Teneriffe as something very different now from 
what it was twenty-five or thirty years ago, both as regards 
the number of its inhabitants and the activity of its com- 
merce, and mourn over 'the good old times;' — a custom 
I have remarked in many other places ! 







in " *• s-** 

A i'alm-tree m a Garden, Orotava, Teneriffe. 



The Marquis de la Candia and Don Hermann Wild- 
garet returned on board with us to breakfast. The anchor 
had been weighed, and the ' Sunbeam ' was slowly steam- 
ing up and down, waiting for as. The stream of visitors had 
been as great and as constant as ever during our absence, 
in spite of the heavy roll of the sea. and the deck seemed 



MORE VISITORS. 



quite covered with baskets of flowers and fruit, kindly sent 
on board by the people who had been over the yacht the day 
before. Amongst the latest arrivals were some very hand- 
some Spanish ladies, beautifully dressed in black, with 
mantillas, each of whom was accompanied by a young man 
carrying a basin. It must, I fear, be confessed that this 
was rather a trial to the gravity of all on board. It cer- 
tainly was an instance of the pursuit of knowledge, or the 
gratification of curiosity, under considerable difficulties. 

Immediately after breakfast, our friends bade us adieu, 
and went ashore in the shore-boat, while we steamed along 
the north side of the island, past the splendid cliffs of 
Buenavista, rising 2,000 feet sheer from the sea, to Cape 
Teno, the extreme western point of Teneriffe. In the dis- 
tance we could see the Great Canary, Palma, and Hierro, 
and soon passed close to the rocky island of Gomera. Here, 
too, the dark cliffs, of volcanic form and origin, are magnifi- 
cent, and as we were almost becalmed by the high land 
whilst we sailed along the north shore of the island, we had 
ample opportunities of admiring its rugged beauty. During 
the night we approached Palma, another large island oi 
the Canary group, containing one of the most remarkable 
calderas, or large basins, formed by volcanic action in the 
world. 



CHAPTER III. 

PALMA TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 

A wet sheet and a flowing sea, 

A wind that follows fast 

And fills the white and rustling sail 

And bends the gallant mast. 

Tuesday, July 2$tk. — There was not much wind during 
the night, and Palma was consequently still visible when I 
came on deck at daybreak. We had a light fair wind in 
the morning, accompanied by a heavy swell, which caused 
us to roll so much that I found it very difficult to do any- 
thing. Several shoals of flying fish skimmed past us along 
the surface of the water, occasionally rising to a considerable 
height above it. Their beautiful wings, glittering in the 
bright sunlight, looked like delicate silver filigree-work. 
In the night one flew on board, only to be preserved in 
spirits by Dr. Potter. 

Saturday, July 29///. — For the last three days we have 
been going on quietly with fair, warm weather, but a nice 
fresh breeze sprang up to-day. At midday the sun was so 
exactly vertical over our heads, that it was literally pos- 
sible to stand under the shadow of one's own hatbrim, and 
be sheltered all round. Our navigators experienced con- 
siderable difficulty in taking their noon-tide observations, 
as the sun appeared to dodge about in every direction. 

About two o'clock we made the high land of St. An- 
tonio, one of the Cape de Verde Islands, and, soon after- 
wards, the lower land of St. Vincent. Some doubt existing 
as to the prevalence of fever at the latter place, Tom 



34 PORTO GRANDE. 



decided not to stop there, for fear of having to undergo 
quarantine at Rio de Janeiro. We therefore shortened 
sail, and passed slowly between the islands to the anchor- 
age beyond the Bird Rock. This is a very small island, of 
perfectly conical form, covered with thousands of sea-fowl, 
who live here undisturbed by any other inhabitants. The 
town of Porto Grande, with its rows of white houses on 
the sea-shore, at the base of the rocky crags, looked clean 
and comfortable in the evening light. During the day, 
however, it must be a hot and glaring place, for there are 
no trees to afford shade, nor, indeed, any kind of vegeta- 
tion. The water, too, is bad, and all supplies for passing 
steamers are brought from the other islands, at very uncer- 
tain intervals. It is still a great coaling-station, though not 
so much used as it was formerly, before the opening of the 
Suez Canal. The ships come out with coal, and go away 
in ballast (there is nothing else to be had here), procured 
from a point near the town, to Rio or elsewhere, where they 
pick up their homeward cargo of fruit, &c. 

The absence of twilight in these latitudes, both at dawn 
and sunset, is certainly very remarkable. This morning, at 
four o'clock, the stars were shining brightly ; ten minutes 
later the day had commenced to break ; and at half-past 
four the sun had risen above the horizon, and was gilding 
the surrounding mountain tops. 

Sunday, July $otk — About 10 a.m. we were off Ta- 
rafal Bay — a most hopeless-looking place for supplies. 
High rocky mountains, sandy slopes, and black volcanic 
beach, composed a scene of arid desolation, in the midst of 
which was situated one small white house, with four win- 
dows and a thatched roof, surrounded by a little green 
patch of sugar-canes and cocoa-nut palms. 

But the result proved the sageness of the advice con- 
tained in the old proverb, not to trust to appearances only ; 
for, whilst we were at breakfast, Mr. Martinez, the son of the 
owner of the one whitewashed cottage to be seen, came on 



WASHERWOMAN-BIRD. 35 

board. To our surprise, he spoke English extremely well, 
and promised us all sorts of supplies, if we could wait until 
three o'clock in the afternoon. Having agreed to do this, we 
shortly afterwards went ashore in his boat, with a crew of 
more than half-naked negroes, and a hot row of about 
three miles brought us to the shore, where, after some little 
difficulty, we succeeded in effecting a landing. Our feet 
immediately sank into the hot black sand, composed 
entirely of volcanic deposits and small pieces, or rather 
grains, of amber, through which we had a fatiguing walk 
until we reached some palm-trees, shading a little pool of 
water. Here we left some of the men, with instructions to 
fill the breakers they had brought with them, while we 
walked on along the beach, past the remains of an English 
schooner that caught fire not far from this island, and was 
run ashore by her captain, thirty years ago. Her iron 
anchor, chain, and wheel still remained, together with two 
queer little iron cannon, which I should have much liked to 
carry off as a memorial of our visit. We then turned up 
a narrow shadeless path, bordered by stone walls, leading 
away from the sea, past a sugar-mill and a ruin. A few 
almond, castor-oil, and fig trees were growing amongst the 
sugar-canes, and as we mounted the hill we could see some 
thirty round straw huts, like beehives, on the sandy slopes 
beside the little stream. An abrupt turn in the mountains, 
amid which, at a distance of three leagues, this tiny river 
takes its rise, hides it from the sea, so that the narrow 
valley which it fertilises looks like a small oasis in the 
desert of rocks and sand. 

Mr. Martinez's house, where we sat for some time, and 
beneath the windows of which the one stream of the island 
runs, was comparatively cool. Outside, the negro washer- 
women were busy washing clothes in large turtle-shell tubs, 
assisted, or hindered, by the ' washerwoman-bird,' a kind of 
white crane, who appeared quite tame, playing about just 
like a kitten, pecking at the clothes or the women's feet, 



TARAFAL BAT. 



and then running away and hiding behind a tree. The 
stream was full of water-cresses, while the burnt-up little 
garden contained an abundance of beautiful flowers. 
There were scarlet and yellow mimosas, of many kinds, 
combining every shade of exquisite green velvety foliage, 
alpinias, with pink, waxy flowers and crimson and gold 
centres, oleanders, begonias, hibiscus, allamandas, and arum 
and other lilies. 

Mr. Bingham sketched, I took some photographs, Dr. 
Potter and the children caught butterflies, and the rest of our 
party wandered about. Every five minutes a negro arrived 
with a portion of our supplies. One brought a sheep, another 
a milch-goat for baby, while the rest contributed, severally, a 
couple of cocoa-nuts, a papaya, three mangoes, a few water- 
cresses, a sack of sweet potatoes, a bottle of milk, three or 
four quinces, a bunch of bananas, a little honey, half-a-dozen 
cabbages, some veal and pork, and so on ; until it appeared 
as if every little garden on either side of the three leagues 
of stream must have yielded up its entire produce, and we 
had accumulated sacks full of cocoa-nuts and potatoes, 
hundreds of eggs, and dozens of chickens and ducks. It 
was very amusing to see the things arrive. They were 
brought in by people varying in colour from dark yellow to 
the blackest ebony, and ranging in size from fine stalwart 
men, over six feet in height, to tiny little blackies of about 
three feet six, with curly hair, snowy teeth, and mischievous, 
beady eyes. The arrival of the provision boat and the 
transfer of its miscellaneous cargo to the ' Sunbeam ' was 
quite an amusing sight. The pretty black goat and the 
sheep bleated, the fowls cackled, and the ducks quacked, 
while the negroes chatted and laughed as they handed and 
hauled on board fish of all shapes and sizes, bunches of 
bananas, piles of cocoa-nuts, sacks of potatoes, and many 
other things, finishing up with a tiny black boy, about three 
years old, whom I think they would rather have liked to leave 
behind with us, if we would only have taken him. The 



MISCELLA NEO US SUPPLIES. 



fish proved excellent, though some of them really seemed 
almost too pretty to eat. A brilliant gold fish, weighing 
about three pounds, and something like a grey mullet in 
flavour, was perhaps the best. The prices were very curious. 
Chickens a shilling each, ducks five shillings, goats thirty 
shillings, and sheep ten shillings. Vegetables, fruit, and 









flowers were extremely cheap ; but the charge for water* 
fetched from the spring in our own breakers by our own 
crew, with but little assistance from four or five negroes, was 
3/. i8j. However, as ours is the only yacht, with one ex- 
ception, that has ever visited this island, there was nothing 
for it except to pay the bill without demur. 



THE FIRST MANGO. 



I never in my life felt so warm as I did to-day on shore, 
though the inhabitants say it will not be really hot for two 
months yet ; I never before saw cocoa-nut palms growing ; 
and I never tasted a mango until this morning ; so I have 
experienced three new sensations in one day. 

The night was fearfully close, muggy, and thundery, 
the temperature in the cabins being 89 , in spite of open 
sky-lights and port-holes. Generally speaking, it has not 
hitherto been as hot as we expected, especially on board the 
yacht itself. On deck there is almost always a nice breeze, 
but below it is certainly warm. 

Tuesday, August 1st. — Yesterday we were still under 
sail, but to-day it has been necessary to steam, for the 
wind has fallen too light. There was a heavy roll from the 
south, and the weather continued hot and oppressive. In 
the cabins the thermometer stood at 89 during the whole 
of the night, in spite of all our efforts to improve the 
temperature. We therefore put three of the children in the 
deck-house to sleep, opening the doors and windows ; and 
some of the rest of our party slept on deck in hammocks. 
In anticipation of the heavy equatorial rains, which Captain 
Lecky had predicted might commence to-day, we had had 
the awnings put up ; a fortunate piece of foresight, for, 
before midnight, the rain came down in torrents. 

Wednesday, August 2nd. — At daybreak the sky was 
covered with heavy black clouds, and the atmosphere was 
as hot and muggy as ever. We had a great deal of rain 
during the day, and took advantage of the opportunity to 
fill every available tub, bucket, and basin, to say nothing 
of the awnings. It came down in such sheets that mackin- 
toshes were comparatively useless, and we had soon filled 
our seventeen breakers, the cistern, and the boats, from 
which we had removed the covers, with very good, though 
somewhat dirty, washing water. 

Friday, August 4/k — We were only 289 miles off 
Sierra Leone in the morning, and at noon therefore Torn 



THE SOUTHERN CROSS. 



39 



decided to put about. Having done so, we found that we 
went along much more easily and quite as fast on the other 
tack. We maintained a good rate of speed on our new 
course, which was now nearly due west, passing a large 
barque with every stitch of canvas set, hand over hand. 

We are still in the Guinea current, and the temperature 
of the water is 82 , even in the early morning ; but the heat 
of the sun does not seem to have much effect upon it, as it 
does not vary to any great 
extent during the day. 

In the evening we saw 
the Southern Cross for the 
first time, and were much 
disappointed in its appear- 
ance. The fourth star is 
of smaller magnitude than 
the others, and the whole 
group is only for a very 
short time in a really up- 
right position, inclining al- \ 
most always either to one J 
side or the other, as it rises 3| 
and sets. |||| 

Tuesday, A ugust Zth. — 85 
We crossed the line at day- ^§1 
light. ^ 

This event caused much 
fun and excitement, both 
in cabin and forecastle. The conventional hair was put 
across the field of the telescope for the unsophisticated 
' really to see the line,' and many firmly believed they did se 
it, and discussed its appearance at some length. Jim A lien, 
one of our tallest sailors, and coxswain of the gig, dressed 
in blue, with long oakum wig and beard, gilt paper crown, 
and trident and fish impaled in one hand, was seated 
on a gun-carriage, and made a capital Father Neptune. 




father Neptune 



HP 



4 o 



CROSSING THE LINE. 




Doctor (Crossing 



Our somewhat portly engineer, Mr. Rowbotham, with fur- 
tr.mmed dressing gown and cap, and bent form, leaning on 

a stick, his face partially 
concealed by a long grey 
beard, and a large band- 
box of pills on one arm, 
made an equally good doc- 
tor to his Marine Majesty, 
while the part of Mrs. Tri- 
dent was ably filled by one 
of the youngest sailors, 
dressed in some of the 
maids' clothes ; but the ac- 
companying pictures will 
give a better idea than any 
description of mine. 

Soon afterwards we saw 
an enormous shoal of gram- 
puses, large black fish, about 25 feet in length, something 
between a dolphin and a - whale, with the very ugliest jaws, 
or rather snouts, imaginable. They are of a predatory and 
ferocious disposition, attacking not only sharks, dolphins, 
and porpoises, but even whales, more than twice their own 
size. We also passed through enormous quantities of flying- 
fish, no doubt driven to the surface by dolphins and bonitos. 
They were much larger and stronger in the wing than any 
we have hitherto seen. 

Lulu's puppies, born yesterday, have been respectively 
named Butterfly (who survived her birth only an hour), 
Poseidon, Aphrodite, Amphitrite, and Thetis — names sug- 
gested by their birth-place on the ocean close to his Marine 
Majesty's supposed equatorial palace. 

At noon we were 250 miles off St. Paul's Rocks. 
Thursday, August 10th. — A very hot, showery day. 
Saw two large ships in the distance. In the morning we 
were almost becalmed for a time, but the breeze returned 



TROPICAL WEATHER. 



during the afternoon, and we were able to proceed on our 
course. I think this has been the most lovely ot the many 




Lulu and her Puppies 

exquisite days we have enjoyed since we left England. It 
commenced with a magnificent sunrise, and ended with an 
equally gorgeous sunset, only to be succeeded by a beautiful 
moonlight night, so clear and bright that we could see to 
read ordinary print on deck. 

Saturday, August 12th. — At noon we were 300 miles 
off Bahia, a place we have made up our minds not to visit, 
as it would lengthen our voyage considerably, and there is 
not much to see there. We have therefore decided to pro- 
ceed direct to Rio, where we are looking forward to arrive 
on Wednesday or Thursday next. 

The night was showery, with a good deal of wind 
and sea. 

Sunday, August 13M. — Sailing in the tropics is really 
very delightful ! When going to the westward, there is 
almost always, at this season of the year, a favourable 
breeze, and the weather is generally either quite fair or 
moderately so. 

Whispered to it, westward, westward, 
And with speed it darted forward. 

We had service at II.15 a.m., and again at 5.30 p.m. 
The choir has considerably improved ; one of our new 
men plays the violin very well, and frequently accom- 



42 



A WHALE /A SIGHT. 



panies the children and the nurse in their songs. On 
a clear calm night, beneath a tropical sky, when the 
members of this little group assemble on deck, and, 
by the light of a lantern, sing some of their simple 
songs, the effect produced is both melodious and pic- 
turesque. 

The wind dropped at about 10 p.m., and we had an 
unpleasant amount of roll during the night, sails flapping, 
spars creaking, and booms swinging as if they would pull 
the masts out of the vessel. 




Vespers. 

Monday, August 14th. — This morning we saw a small 
schooner ahead, and thinking from her manoeuvres that 
she wished to speak us, we made our number and ran 
towards her. We soon found out, however, that she was a 
whaler, in chase of two large grampuses. She had two 
men on the look-out in the cross-trees, in a sort of iron 
cage ; and though she was of much smaller tonnage than 
the 'Sunbeam,' she carried five big boats, one of which, 
full of men, was ready to be lowered into the water, the 




STREET IN RIO DE JANEIRO. 



CAPE FRIO. 43 



instant they had approached sufficiently near to the whale 
or grampus. These seas used formerly to abound with 
whalers, but they are now much less numerous, the seasons 
having been bad of late. 

To-night the stars were especially brilliant, and we 
spent some hours in trying to make out their names. 
Vega, our polar star for some time to come, shone con- 
spicuously bright, and the Southern Cross could be seen 
to great advantage. 

Wednesday, August i6tk. — We had a fine fair breeze 
all day, and at 5 p.m. there was a cry from the mast-head 
of ' Land ahead ! ' Great excitement immediately pre- 
vailed on board, and Tom and Captain Brown rushed, for 
about the twelfth time, to the foretop to see if the report 
was true. They were soon able to announce that Cape 
Frio was visible on the port bow, about thirty-five miles 
distant. After even a fortnight at sea, an indescribable 
sensation is produced by this cry, and by the subse- 
quent sight of the land itself. When we came up on 
deck this evening, after dinner, we all gazed on the 
lighthouse on the still distant shore as if we had never 
beheld such a thing in our lives before. The colour 
and temperature of the water had perceptibly changed, 
the former from a beautiful, clear, dark ultramarine to 
a muddy green ; innumerable small birds, moths, locusts, 
and grasshoppers came on board ; and, having given 
special orders that we were to be called early the next 
morning, we went to bed in the fond hope that we should 
be able to enter Rio harbour at daybreak. 

Thursday, August ijth.— 1 L'homme propose ; Dieu 
dispose.' Steam was up at midnight, but by that time 
it was blowing half a gale of wind from the south-west, 
with such a steep short sea that the screw was scarcely 
ever properly immersed, but went racing round and round 
in the air with tremendous velocity, as we pitched and 
rolled about. Our progress was therefore at the rate of 



44 STEERING FOR RIO. 

something rather under a mile an hour, and at daybreak, 
instead of entering the harbour of Rio, as we had hoped to 
do, we found ourselves close to Cape Frio. 

About 8 a.m. matters mended, the wind moderating 
and changing its direction slightly ; so that, under steam 
and sail, we were soon going along the coast at the rate of 
four or five miles an hour. The surf was breaking with a 
loud roar upon the white sandy beach, while the spray was 
carried by the force of the wind far inland, over the strip 
of flat fertile-looking country, lying between the sea and 
a chain of low sugarloaf-shaped mountains, parallel with 
the shore, and only a short distance off. 

Our course lay between the mainland and the islands 
of Maya and Payo, where the groves of bananas and other 
trees looked very miserable in the wind. The tall isolated 
palm-trees, whose elastic stems bowed readily before the 
fury of the blast, looked, as they were twisted and whirled 
hither and thither, like umbrellas turned inside out. Pass- 
ing the false Sugarloaf mountain, as it is called, we next 
opened out the true one, the Gavia, and the chain of moun- 
tains beyond, the outlines of which bear an extraordinary 
resemblance to the figure of a man lying on his back, the 
profile of the face being very like that of the late Duke of 
Wellington. As the sun sank in gorgeous splendour 
behind these hills, I think I never saw a grander or more 
beautiful sight ; though the sky was so red and stormy- 
looking that our hopes of a fine day to-morrow were but 
faint. 

Before entering the harbour, a bar had to be crossed, 
which is a dangerous operation all the world over. The 
skylights and hatches were fastened down, and those of our 
party who did not like being shut up below took their 
places on the bridge, where, for the first time since we left 
England, it felt really quite cold. As we advanced, the 
beautiful harbour, with its long rows of glittering gas- 
lights, extending for miles on either side of the bay, and 



CROSSING A BAR. 45 

illuminating the city and suburbs, gradually became visible. 
On our left lay the two islands, Rodonda and Raza, on 
the latter of which is situated a lighthouse. The wind 
was blowing off the land when we reached the bar, so 
that, after all our preparations, there was hardly any sea to 
encounter, and the moment we were over, the water on 
the other side was perfectly smooth. A gun and a blue 
light from Fort Santa Cruz, answered immediately by 
a similar signal from Fort Santa Lucia, announced our 
arrival, and we shortly afterwards dropped our anchor in 
the quarantine ground of Rio close to Botafogo Bay, in the 
noble harbour of Nictheroy. 

After dinner it rained heavily, and continued to do so 
during the whole night. 




CHAPTER IV. 



RIO DE JANEIRO. 

The sun is warm, the sky is clear. 

The waves are dancing fast and bright, 
Blue isles and snowy mountains wear 
The purple noon's transparent light. 

Friday, August iZth. — The clouds still hung heavy on 
the hills, or rather mountains, which surround the bay, 
occasionally descending in' the form of torrents of rain, 
and hiding everything from our view. 

Early in the morning we weighed anchor and steamed 
up the bay to the man-of-war anchorage, a much pleasanter 
situation than the quarantine harbour, where we had 
brought up last night. About 9.30 a.m. the health officers 
came on board, and half an hour later we had a visit from 
the custom-house official, who required Tom to sign and 
seal a declaration upon oath that he had no cargo on 
board, and not more coal than we absolutely required for 
our own consumption. 



&»£ 




mm% 


-4 


>mm 


KM 


'/r&jj-: : M 'I 


"%:i: : rfl 


.=' 


■" 


■r. ^ 


- ■ . - 


,.- : - 




• 


7 



FRUIT GATHERERS AT RIO, 



NO NEWS FROM HOME. 47 

About eleven o'clock we put on our mackintoshes 
and thick boots, and, accompanied by an interpreter, who 
(together with several washerwomen) had suddenly made 
his appearance on board, rowed ashore, pushing our way 
through crowds of boats laden with fruit and vegetables 
The landing-place was close to the market, at some broken- 
down steps, and was crowded with chattering negroes, of 
every shade of colour. The quays seemed covered with 
piles of fruit and vegetables, discharged from the boats, 
the principal produce being sugar-cane, bananas, and 
oranges. Each side street that we came to was a little 
river, which had to be crossed, or rather forded, after 
paddling through the mud in the main thoroughfare. 

Our first visit was to the post-office — ' no letters ' — 
then to the British Consulate — ' no letters ' — and finally to 
the Legation, but there was nobody at home there ; so we 
set off for the Hotel des Etrangers, to breakfast Our 
way lay through the straggling suburbs of the city for 
about two miles, and as we drove along we could see and 
admire, despite the heavy rain, the magnificent groves of 
palm-trees, and the brilliancy and beauty of the tropical 
vegetation in the various private and public gardens that 
we passed. 

After breakfast we returned to the Legation, where we 
were most kindly received, but, much to our regret, no 
letters were forthcoming. We next paid a visit to some 
of the shops in the Rua do Ouvidor, for the sale of 
imitations of flowers, made from the undyed feathers of 
birds, and a large number of the more expensive varie- 
ties of ordinary artificial flowers, each petal consisting of 
the entire throat or breast of a humming-bird, and the 
leaves are made from the wings of beetles. They are 
very rare and beautiful, their manufacture being quite a 
sp&ialitt of this city. The prices asked astonished us 
greatly ; the cost of five sprays, which I had been com- 
missioned to buy, was 29/., and the price of all the others 



48 BRAZILIAN TRAMS. 

was proportionately high. But then they wear for ever. I 
have had some for nine years, and they are as good now as 
when they were bought. 

Saturday, August igt/i. — Though far from brilliant, the 
weather improved, and we were able to enjoy occasional 
glimpses of the beautiful scenery around us. 

Mr. Gough and Mn O'Conor breakfasted with us on 
board, and we afterwards proceeded in a ' bond ' to the 
Botanical Gardens, about seven miles out of the city. 
These ' bonds,' which are a great institution here, are large 
carriages, either open or closed, drawn sometimes by one, 
sometimes by two, sometimes by three mules. They go at 
a great pace, and run very smoothly. Ordinary carriages 
are dear ; and as tramways .have been laid down in almost 
2very street and road, driving is a rather difficult affair. 
On our road we passed several delightful-looking private 
gardens. The railings were completely covered, some with 
white stephanotis and scarlet lapageria, others with a beau- 
tiful orange-coloured creeper and lilac bougainvillaea, or 
passion-flowers of many colours and variety. Inside we 
could see large trees with green and yellow stripes, croton- 
oil plants, spotted and veined caladiums, and dracsenas, the 
whole being shaded by orange-trees. 

Along the edge of Botafogo Bay there is a delightful 
drive, beneath a splendid avenue of imperial palms, extend- 
ing to the gates of the Botanical Gardens. Each specimen 
rises straight up like the column of an Egyptian temple, 
and is crowned with a feathery tuft of large shiny dark green 
leaves, some thirty feet in length. The clumps of bamboos, 
too, were very fine, and nearly all the trees seemed to be 
full of curious orchids and parasites of every sort and kind. 

We had an agreeable drive back in the cool evening to 
dinner at the H6tel de l'Europe. The food was excellent, 
and included some delicious tiny queer-shaped oysters, 
which are found on the mangrove-trees, overhanging the 
water higher up the bay. We afterwards went to a 



A PEEP AT SOCIETY. 49 

pleasant little reception, where we enjoyed the splendid 
singing of some young Brazilian ladies, and the subsequent 
row off to the yacht, in the moonlight, was not the least 
delightful part of the programme. 

Sunday, August 20th. — At last a really fine day. We 
could now, for the first time, thoroughly appreciate the 
beauties of the noble bay of Nictheroy, though the distant 
Organ mountains were still hidden from our view. In the 
morning, we went to church on board H.M.S. 'Volage,' 
afterwards rowing across the bay to Icaraky, where we 
took the tramway to Santa Rosa. On our way we again 
passed many charming villas and gardens, similar to those 
we had admired yesterday, while the glorious and ever- 
attractive tropical vegetation abounded everywhere. In 
spite of the great heat, the children seemed untiring in the 
pursuit of butterflies, of which they succeeded in catching 
many beautiful specimens. 

Monday, August 21st. — After an early breakfast, we 
started off to have a look at the market. The greatest 
bustle and animation prevailed, and there were people and 
things to see and observe in endless variety. The fish- 
market was full of finny monsters of the deep, all new 
and strange to us, whose odd Brazilian names would convey 
to a stranger but little idea of the fish themselves. There 
was an enormous rockfish, weighing about 300 pounds, with 
hideous face and shiny back and fins; there were large 
ray, and skate, and cuttle-fish — the pieuvre of Victor Hugo's 
Travailleurs de la Mer' — besides baskets full of the large 
prawns for which the coast is famous, eight or ten inches 
long, and with antennae of twelve or fourteen inches in 
length. They make up in size for want of quality, for they 
are insipid and tasteless, though, being tender, they make 
excellent curry. The oysters, on the other hand, are par- 
ticularly small, but of the most delicious flavour. They arc 
brought from a park, higher up the bay, where, as I have 
said, they grow on posts and the branches of the mangrove- 



50 A ZOOLOGICAL MARKET. 

tree, which hang down into the water. We also saw a large 
quantity of fine mackerel, a good many turtle and por- 
poises, and a few hammer-headed sharks. The latter are 
very curious creatures, not unlike an ordinary shark, but 
with a remarkable hammer-shaped projection on either 
side of their noses for which it is difficult to imagine a 
use. 

In the fruit-market were many familiar bright-coloured 
fruits ; for it is now the depth of winter at Rio, and the 
various kinds that we saw were all such as would bear 
transport to England. Fat, jet-black negresses, wear- 
ing turbans on their heads, strings of coloured beads on 
their necks and arms, and single long white garments, 
which appeared to be continually slipping off their shoul- 
ders, here presided over brilliant-looking heaps of oranges, 
bananas, pineapples, passion-fruit, tomatoes, apples, pears, 
capsicums and peppers, sugar-cane, cabbage-palms, cheri- 
moyas, and bread-fruit. 

In another part of the market all sorts of live birds 
were for sale, with a few live beasts, such as deer, monkeys, 
pigs, guinea-pigs in profusion, rats, cats, dogs, marmosets, 
and a dear little lion-monkey, very small and rather red, 
with a beautiful head and mane, who roared exactly like 
a real lion in miniature. We saw also cages full of small 
flamingoes, snipe of various kinds, and a great many birds 
of smaller size, with feathers of all shades of blue, red, and 
green, and metallic hues of brilliant lustre, besides parrots, 
macaws, cockatoos innumerable, and torchas, on stands. 
The torcha is a bright-coloured black and yellow bird, 
about as big as a starling, which puts its little head on one 
side and takes flies from one's fingers in the prettiest and 
most enticing manner. Unfortunately, it is impossible to 
introduce it into England, as it cannot stand the change of 
climate. The other birds included guinea-fowls, ducks, 
cocks and hens, pigeons, doves, quails, &c, and many other 
varieties less familiar or quite unknown to us. Altogether 



OUR FIRST TROPICAL JOURNEY. 51 

the visit was an extremely interesting one, and well repaid 
us for our early rising. 

At eleven o'clock we started for the Petropolis steamer, 
which took us alongside a wooden pier, from the end 
of which the train started, and we were soon wending our 
way through sugar and coffee plantations, formed in the 
midst of the forest of palms and other tropical trees. An 
Englishman has made a large clearing here, and has 
established a fine farm, which he hopes to work success- 
fully by means of immigrant labour. 

After a journey of twenty minutes in the train, we 
reached the station, at the foot of a hill, where we found 
several four-mule carriages awaiting our arrival. The 
drive up from the station to the town, over a pass 
in the Organ mountains, was superb. At each turn of 
the road we had an ever-varying view of the city of Rio 
and its magnificent bay. And then the banks of this tro- 
pical high-road ! From out a mass of rich verdure grew 
lovely scarlet begonias, and spotted caladiums, shaded by 
graceful tree-ferns and overhung by trees full of exquisite 
parasites and orchids. Among these, the most conspi- 
cuous, after the palms, are the tall thin-stemmed sloth- 
trees, so called from their being a favourite resort of the 
sloth, who with great difficulty crawls up into one of them, 
remains there until he has demolished every leaf, and then 
passes on to the next tree. 

The pace of the mules, up the steep incline, under a 
broiling sun, was really wonderful. Half-way up we 
stopped to change, at a buvette, where we procured some 
excellent Brazilia coffee, of fine but exceedingly bitter 
flavour. Our next halt, midway between the buvette and 
the top of the hill, was at a spring of clear sparkling water, 
where we had an opportunity of collecting some ferns and 
flowers ; and on reaching the summit we stopped once 
more, to enjoy the fine view over the Pass and the 
bay of Nictheroy. The descent towards Petropolis then 



A VIRGIN FOREST. 



commenced ; it lies in the hollow of the hills, with a river 
flowing through the centre of its broad streets, on either 
side of which are villas and avenues of noble trees. Alto- 
gether it reminded me of Bagneres-de-Luchon, in the 
Pyrenees, though the general effect is unfortunately marred 
by the gay and rather too fantastic painting of some of the 
houses. 

Tuesday, August 22nd. — We were called at half-past 
five, and, after a hasty breakfast, started on horseback by 
seven o'clock for the Virgin Forest, about six miles from 
Petropolis. After leaving the town and its suburbs, we 
pursued our way by rough winding paths, across which 
huge moths and butterflies flitted, and humming-birds 
buzzed in the almond-trees. After a ride of an hour and 
a half, we entered the silence and gloom of a vast forest. 
On every side extended a tangled mass of wild, luxuriant 
vegetation : giant-palms, and tree-ferns, and parasites are 
to be seen in all directions, growing wherever they can 
find root-hold. Sometimes they kill the tree which they 
favour with their attentions — one creeper, in particular, 
being called ' Mata-pao ' or ' Kill-tree ; ' but, as a rule, they 
seem to get on very well together, and to depend mutually 
upon one another for nourishment and support. The most 
striking of these creepers is, perhaps, the liane, whose 
tendrils grow straight downwards to the ground, twisting 
themselves together in knots and bundles. Occasion- 
ally one sees, suspended from a tree, at a height of some 
fifty feet, a large lump of moss, from which scarlet orchids 
are growing ; looking like an enormous hanging flower- 
basket. All colours in Brazil, whether of birds, insects, or 
flowers, are brilliant in the extreme. Blue, violet, orange, 
scarlet, and yellow are found in the richest profusion, and 
no pale or faint tints are to be seen. Even white seems 
purer, clearer, and deeper than the white of other countries. 

We had a long wet walk in the forest ; the mosses and 
ferns being kept moist and green by the innumerable little 



PETROPOLIS. 53 

streams of water which abound everywhere. Owing to the 
thickness of the surrounding jungle, it was impossible to 
stray from our very narrow path, notwithstanding the 
attractions of humming-birds, butterflies, and flowers. At 
last we came to an opening in the wood, whence we had a 
splendid view seawards, and where it was decided to turn 
round and retrace our steps through the forest. After 
walking some distance we found our horses waiting, and 
after a hot but pleasant ride reached Petropolis by twelve 
o'clock, in time for breakfast. Letter-writing and butterfly- 
catching occupied the afternoon until four o'clock, when I 
was taken out for a drive in a comfortable little phaeton, 
with a pretty pair of horses, while the rest of the party 
walked out to see a little more of Petropolis and its environs. 
We drove past the Emperor's palace — an Italian villa, 
standing in the middle of a large garden — the new church, 
and the houses of the principal inhabitants, most of which 
are shut up just now, as everybody is out of town, but it 
all looked very green and pleasant. It was interesting to 
see a curious breed of dogs, descended from the blood- 
hounds formerly used in hunting the poor Indians. 

Wednesday, August 2^rd. — At six o'clock we assembled 
all on the balcony of the hotel to wait for the coach, which 
arrived shortly afterwards. There was some little delay 
and squabbling before we all found ourselves safely esta- 
blished on the coach, but starting was quite another matter, 
for the four white mules resolutely refused to move, with- 
out a vast amount of screaming and shouting and plung- 
ing. We had to pull up once or twice before we got clear 
of the town, to allow more passengers to be somehow or 
other squeezed in, and at each fresh start similar objections 
on the part of the mules had to be overcome. 

The air felt fresh when we started, but before we had 
proceeded far we came into a thick, cold, wet fog, which, 
after the heat of the last few weeks, seemed to pierce us to 
the verv marrow. Eight miles farther on the four frisky 



GOOD COACHMANSHIP. 



white mules were exchanged for live steady dun-coloured 
ones, which were in their turn replaced after a seven-mile 
stage by four nice bays, who took us along at a tremendous 
pace. The sun began by this time to penetrate the mist, 
and the surrounding country became visible. We found 
that we were following the course of the river, passing 
through an avenue of coral-trees, loaded with the most bril- 
liant flowers and fruit imaginable, and full of parroquets 
and fluttering birds of many hues. 

We stopped at several small villages, and at about 1 1 
a.m. reached Entre Rios, having changed mules seven 
times, and done the 59! miles in four hours and fifty 
minutes, including stoppages — pretty good work, especially 
as the heat during the latter portion of the journey had 
been as great as the cold was at the commencement. The 
term ' cold ' must here be taken only in a relative sense, for 
the thermometer was never lower than 48 , though, having 
been accustomed for a long while to 85 , we felt the change 
severely. 

After a capital breakfast at the inn near the station, we 
got into the train and began a very hot dusty journey over 
the Serra to Palmeiras, which place was reached at 4 p.m. 
We were met on our arrival by Dr. Gunning, who kindly 
made room for Tom and me at his house, the rest of our 
party proceeding to the hotel. The view from the windows 
of tiie house, which is situated on the very edge of a hill, 
over the mountains of the Serra, glowing with the light of 
the setting sun, was perfectly enchanting ; and after a 
refreshing cold bath one was able to appreciate it as it 
deserved. A short stroll into the forest adjoining the house 
proved rich in treasures, for in a few minutes I had gathered 
twenty -six varieties of ferns, including gold and silver ferns, 
two creeping ferns, and many other kinds. The moon 
rose, and the fireflies flashed about among the palm-trees, 
as we sat in the verandah before dinner, while in several 
laces on the distant hills we could see circles of bright 



HUMMING-BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES. 55 

flames, where the forest had been set on fire in order to 
make clearings. 

We were up next morning in time to see the sun rise 
from behind the mountains, and as it gradually became 
warmer the humming-birds and butterflies came out and 
buzzed and flitted among the flowers in front of our win- 
dows. We had planned to devote the day to a visit to 
Barra, and it was, therefore, necessary to hurry to the 
station by eight o'clock to meet the train, where we 
stopped twenty minutes to breakfast at what appeared 
to be a capital hotel, built above the station. The rooms 
were large and lofty, everything was scrupulously clean, 
and the dishes most appetising-looking. Our carriage was 
then shunted and hooked on to the other train, and we 
proceeded to the station of Santa Anna, where Mr. Faro 
met us with eight mules and horses, and a large old-fashioned 
carriage, which held some of us, the rest of the party 
galloping on in front. We galloped also, and upset one 
unfortunate horse, luckily without doing him any harm 
After a couple of miles of a rough road we arrived at the 
gates of the Baron's grounds, where the old negro slave- 
coachman amused us very much by ordering his young 
master to conduct the equestrians round to the house by 
another way. Beneath the avenue of palm-trees, leading 
from the gates to the house, grew orange, lemon, and 
citron trees, trained as espaliers, while behind them again 
tall rose-bushes and pomegranates showed their bright faces. 
Driving through an archway we arrived at the house, and, 
with much politeness and many bows, were conducted in- 
doors, in order that we might rest ourselves and get rid of 
some of the dust of our journey. 

Santa Anna is one of the largest coffee fazendas in this 
past of Brazil. The house occupies three sides of a square, 
in the middle of which heaps of coffee were spread out to 
dry in the sun. The centre building is the dwelling-house, 
with a narrow strip of garden, full of sweet-smell inp flowers 



56 



BARON BONITO'S ESTATE. 



in front of it; the right wing is occupied by the slaves' shops 
and warehouses, and by the chapel ; while the left wing con- 
tains the stables, domestic offices, and other slave-rooms. 

By law, masters are bound to give their slaves one day's 
rest in every seven, and any work the slaves may choose to 




The Slave Village, Fazenda, Santa Anna 



do on that day is paid for at the same rate as free labour. 
But the day selected for this purpose is not necessarily Sun- 
day ; and on adjoining fazendas different days are invari- 
ably chosen, in order to prevent the slaves from meeting 
and getting into mischief. Thursday (to-day) was Sunday 
on this estate, and we soon saw all the slaves mustering in 



SANTA ANNA. 57 



holiday attire in the shade of one of the verandahs. They 
were first inspected, and then ranged in order, the children 
being placed in front, the young women next, then the old 
women, the old men, and finally the young men. In this 
order they marched into the corridor facing the chapel, to 
hear mass. The priest and his acolyte, in gorgeous robes, 
performed the usual service, and the slaves chanted the 
responses in alternate companies, so that sopranos, con- 
traltos, tenors, and basses, contrasted in a striking and effec- 
tive manner. The singing, indeed, was excellent ; far better 
than in many churches at home. After the conclusion of 
the mass the master shook hands with everybody, exchanged 
good wishes with his slaves, and dismissed them. While 
they were dawdling about, gossiping in the verandah, I 
had a closer look at the babies, which had all been brought 
to church. They seemed of every shade of colour, the com- 
plexions of some being quite fair, but the youngest, a dear 
little woolly-headed thing, was black as jet, and only three 
weeks old. The children all seemed to be on very good 
terms with their master and his overseers, and not a bit 
afraid of them. They are fed most liberally, and looked fat 
and healthy. For breakfast they have coffee and bread ; for 
dinner, fresh pork alternately with dried beef, and black 
beans (the staple food of the poor of this country) ; and for 
supper they have coffee, bread, and mandioca, or tapioca. 

Returning to the house, we sat down, a party of thirty, 
to an elaborate breakfast, the table being covered with all 
sorts of Brazilian delicacies, after which several complimen- 
tary speeches were made, and we all started off to walk 
round the fazenda. Our first visit was to the little school- 
children, thirty-four in number, who sang very nicely. Then 
to the hospital, a clean, airy building, in which there were 
happily but few patients, and next we inspected the new 
machinery, worked by water-power, for cleaning the coffee 
and preparing it for market. The harvest lasts from May 
to August. The best quality of coffee is picked before it is 



58 LIFE AT A COFFEE PLANTATION. 

quite ripe, crushed to free it from the husk, and then dried 
in the sun, sometimes in heaps, and sometimes raked out 
flat, in order to gain the full benefit of the heat. It is 
afterwards gathered up into baskets and carefully picked 
over, and this, being very light work, is generally performed 
by young married women with babies. There were nineteen 
tiny piccaninnies, in baskets, beside their mothers, in one 
room we entered, and in another there were twenty just 
able to run about. 

Cassava is an important article of food here, and it was in- 
teresting to watch the various processes by which it is turned 
into flour, tapioca, or starch. As it is largely exported, there 
seems no reason why it should not be introduced into India, 
for the ease with which it is cultivated and propagated, 
the extremes of temperature it will bear, and the abundance 
of its crop, all tend to recommend it. We went on to look 
at the maize being shelled, crushed, and ground into coarse 
or fine flour, for cakes and bread, and the process of crush- 
ing the sugar-cane, turning its juice into sugar and rum, 
and its refuse into potash. All the food manufactured here 
is used on the estate; coffee alone is exported. I felt 
thoroughly exhausted by the time we returned to the house, 
only to exchange adieus and step into the carriage on our 
way to Barra by rail en route to Rio de Janeiro. After 
passing through several long tunnels at the top of the 
Serra, the line drops down to Palmeiras, after which the 
descent became very picturesque, as we passed, by steep in- 
clines, through virgin forests full of creepers, ferns, flowers, 
and orchids. The sunset was magnificent, and the subse- 
quent coolness of the atmosphere most grateful. Leaving 
the Emperor's palace of Sao Christovao behind, Rio was 
entered from a fresh side. It seemed a long drive through 
the streets to the Hdtel de l'Europe, where, after an ex- 
cellent though hurried dinner, we contrived to be in time for 
a private representation at the Alcazar. As a rule, ladies 
do not go to this theatre, but there were a good many there 



SLA VE-DEALING. S9 

on the present occasion. Neither che play nor the actors, 
however, were very interesting, and all our party were ex- 
cessively tired ; so we left early, and had a delightful row 
off to the yacht, in the bright moonlight. 

Monday, August 28t/i. — We have all been so much 
interested in the advertisements we read in the daily papers 
of slaves to be sold or hired, that arrangements were made 
with a Brazilian gentleman for some of our party to have 
an opportunity of seeing the way in which these transactions 
are carried on. No Englishman is allowed to hold slaves 
here, and it is part of the business of the Legation to see 
that this law is strictly enforced. The secrets of their trade 
are accordingly jealously guarded by the natives, especially 
from the English. The gentlemen had therefore to dis- 
guise themselves as much as possible, one pretending to 
be a rich Yankee, who had purchased large estates between 
Santos and San Paulo, which he had determined to work 
with slave instead of coolie labour. He was supposed to 
have come to Rio to select some slaves, but would be obliged 
to see and consult his partner before deciding on purchase. 
They were taken to a small shop in the city, and, after some 
delay, were conducted to a room upstairs, where they waited 
a quarter of an hour. Twenty-two men and eleven women 
and children were then brought in for inspection. They 
declared themselves suitable for a variety of occupations, 
in-door and out, and all appeared to look anxiously at their 
possible purchaser, with a view to ascertain what they had 
to hope for in the future. One couple in particular, a 
brother and sister, about fourteen and fifteen years old 
respectively, were most anxious not to be separated, but 
to be sold together ; and the tiny children seemed quite 
frightened at being spoken to or touched by the white men. 
Eight men and five women having been specially selected 
as fit subjects for further consideration, the visit terminated. 
The daily Brazilian papers are full of advertisements of 
slaves for sale, and descriptions of men, pigs, children. 



6o 



HUMAN FLESH AND BLOOD FOR SALE. 



cows, pianos, women, houses, &c, to be disposed of, are 
inserted in the most indiscriminate manner. In one short 
half-column of the ' Jornal do Commercio,' published within 
the last day or two, the following announcements, amongst 
many similar ones, appear side by side : — 



'ENDE-SE uma escrava, de 22 annos, 
boa figura, lava, engomma e cose bem ; 
informa-se na rua de S. Pedro n. 97. 



v ] 



V 



ENDE-SE ou aluga-se um rico piano 
forte do autor Erard, de 3 cordas, por 
a8o$, garantido ; na rua da Quitanda n. 42, 
a andar. 

■\TENDE-SE, por 1,500$, um escravo de 
20 annos, para servico de padaria ; na 
rua da Princeza dos Cajueiros n. 97. 



"ITENDE-SE uma machina Singer, para 
qualquer costura, trabalha perfeita- 
mente, por preco muito commodo ; trata-se 
na rua do Sabao n. 95. 

yENDE-SE uma preta moca, boa figura e 
de muito boa indole, com tres filhos, 
sendo uma negrinha de 6 annos, um moleque 
de s e uma ingenua de 3, cabenda cozinhar 
bem, lavar e engommar ; na mesma casa 
vende-se s<5 uma negrinha de 12 annos, de 
conducta afiancada e muito propria para 
servico de casa de familia, por ja ter tons 
principios, tendo vindo de Santa Catharina ; 
na rua da Uruguayana n. 90 sobrado. 



\T ENDE-SE o Diccionario portuguez de 
v Lacerda, em dous grandes volumes, novo, 
vindo pelo ultimo paquete, por 30$, custao 
aqui 40$ ; na rua do Hospicio n. 15, 2 
andar. 

ENDE-SE uma preta de meia idade, 
que cozinha, lava, e engomma com per- 
feicao ; para tratar na rua do Viscande de 
Itauna n. 12. 



V 



"\TENDEM-SE arreios para carrocinhas 
de pao ; na rua do General Cainara n. 
86, placa. 

"yENDEM-SE 20 moleques, de 14 a 20 
annos, vindos do Maranhao no ultimo 
vapor ; na rua da Prainha n. 72. 



pOR SALE.— A female slave, 22 years of 
A age, a good figure, washes, irons, and 
sews well ; for particulars apply at No. 97 
rua de S. Pedro 



pOR SALE, OR TO BE LET ON 
*■ Hire. — A splendid trichord pianoforte 
by Erard, for $280, guaranteed ; apply at 
rua da Quitanda No. 42, 2nd floor. 



•yO BE SOLD FOR $1,500. — A male 
A slave 20 years of age, fit for a baker's 
establishment ; apply at rua da Princeza dos 
Cajueiros No. 97. 

pOR SALE. — On very reasonable terms, 
■*■ a Singer's sewing-machine, adapted for 
any description of work ; works splendidly: 
apply at No. 95 rua do Sabao. 

pOR SALE. — A good black woman, good 
■*■ figure, good disposition, with three 
children, who are a little black girl 6 years 
of age, a black boy of 5, and a child 3 
years of age ; she is a good cook, washes and 
irons well. At the same house there is like- 
wise for sale a little black girl 12 years of 
age : her character will be guaranteed ; she 
is well adapted for the service of a family, 
as she has had a good beginning, having 
come from Santa Catharina ; apply at No. 
90 rua da Uruguayana, first floor. 



pOR SALE.— Lacerda's Portuguese Dic- 
A _ tionary, in two large volumes, quite new, 
arrived by the last mail, price $30, costs h<=»e 
$40 ; No. 15 rua do Hospicio, 2nd floor. 



pOR SALE.— A middle-aged black wo- 
*■ man, who is a first-rate cook, washes 
and irons splendidly ; for particulars apply 
at No. 12 rua do Viscande de Itauna No. 



12. 



pOR SALE. — Harnesses for small carts 
L for delivery of bread ; apply at No. 86 
rua do General Camara. 

pOR SALE.— 20 young blacks from 14 
■*• to 20 years of age just arrived from Mar- 
anham by the last steamer ; No. 72 rua da 
Prainha. 



We had many visitors to breakfast to-day, and it was 
nearly two o'clock before we could set off for the shore en 
route to Tijuca. We drove nearly as far as the Botanical 



TROPICAL RAIN. 6l 



Gardens, where it had been arranged that horses should 
meet us ; but our party was such a large one, including 
children and servants, that some little difficulty occurred 
at this point in making a fair start. It was thereforedate 
before we started, the clouds were beginning to creep down 
the sides of the hills, and it had grown very dusk by the 
time we reached the Chinisi river. Soon afterwards the rain 
oegan to come down in such tropical torrents, that our 
thin summer clothing was soaked through and through long 
before we reached the Tijuca. At last, to our great joy, 
we saw ahead of us large plantations of bananas, and then 
some gas-lights, which exist even in this remote locality. 
We followed them for some little distance, but my horse 
appeared to have such a very decided opinion as to the 
proper direction for us to take, that we finally decided to 
let him have his own way, for it was by this time pitch 
dark, and none of us had ever been this road before. As 
we hoped, the horse knew his own stables, and we soon 
arrived at the door of White's hotel, miserable, drenched 
objects, looking forward to a complete change of clothing. 
Unfortunately the cart with our luggage had not arrived, 
so it was in clothes borrowed from kind friends that we 
at last sat down, a party of about forty, to a sort of table- 
d'hdte dinner, and it continued to pour with rain during 
the whole evening, only clearing up just at bed-time. 

Tuesday, August 2qt/i. — After all the fine weather we 
have had lately, it was provoking to find, on getting up this 
morning, that the rain still came steadily down. Daylight 
enabled us to see what a quaint-looking place this hotel is. 
It consists of a series of low wooden detached buildings, 
mostly one story high, with verandahs on both sides, built 
round a long courtyard, in the centre of which are a garden 
and some large trees. It is more like a boarding-house, 
however, than an hotel, as there is a fixed daily charge for 
visitors, who have to be provided with a letter of introduc- 
tion ! The situation and gardens are good ; it contains 



62 A BATH FIT FOR UNDINE. 

among other luxuries a drawing-room, with a delightful 
swimming-bath for ladies, and another for gentlemen. A 
mountain stream is turned into two large square reservoirs, 
where you can disport yourself under the shade of bananas 
and palm trees, while orange trees, daturas, poinsettias, and 
other plants, in full bloom, drop their fragrant flowers into 
the crystal water. There is also a nice little bathing-house, 
with a douche outside ; and the general arrangements seem 
really perfect. The views from the walks around the hotel 
and in the forest above are beautiful, as, indeed, they are 
from every eminence in the neighbourhood of Rio. 

During the morning, the weather cleared sufficiently for 
us to go down to 'The Boulders,' huge masses of rock, 
either of the glacial period, or else thrown out from some 
mighty volcano into the valley beneath. Here they form 
great caverns and caves, overhung with creepers, and so 
blocked up at the entrance, that it is difficult to find the 
way into them. The effect of the alternate darkness and 
light, amid twisted creepers, some like gigantic snakes, 
others neatly coiled in true man-of-war fashion, is very 
striking and fantastic. Every crevice is full of ferns and 
orchids and curious plants, while moths and butterflies flit 
about in every direction. Imagine, if you can, scarlet butter- 
flies gaily spotted, yellow butterflies with orange edgings, 
butterflies with dark blue velvety-looking upper wings, the 
under surface studded with bright owl-like peacock eyes, 
grey Atlas moths, and, crowning beauty of all, metallic blue 
butterflies, which are positively dazzling, even when seen in 
a shop, dead. Imagine what they must be like, as they 
dart hither and thither, reflecting the bright sunshine 
from their wings, or enveloped in the sombre shade of a 
forest. Most of them measure from two to ten inches 
in length from wing to wing, and many others flit about, 
equally remarkable for their beauty, though not so large. 
Swallow-tails, of various colours, with tails almost as long, 
in proportion to their bodies, as those of their feathered 



GORGEOUS BUTTERFLIES. 63 

namesakes ; god-parents and ' eighty-eights,' with the 
figures 88 plainly marked on the reverse side of their rich 
blue or crimson wings. In fact, if nature could by any 
possibility be gaudy, one might almost say that she is so 
in this part of the world. 

From ' The Boulders ' we went down a kind of natural 
staircase in the rock to the small cascade, which, owing to 
the recent rains, appeared to the best advantage, the black 
rocks and thick vegetation forming a fine background to 
the sheet of flowing white water and foam. Our way lay 
first through some castor-oil plantations, and then along 
the side of a stream, fringed with rare ferns, scarlet begonias, 
and grey ageratum. We returned to the hotel, too late 
for the general luncheon, and, after a short rest, went 
out for a gallop in the direction of the peak of Tijuca, 
past the large waterfall, the 'Ladies' Mile,' and 'Grey's 
View.' The forest is Government property ; the roads 
are therefore excellent, and are in many places planted 
with flowers and shrubs, rare even here. It seems a waste 
of money, however ; for there is hardly any one to make 
use of the wide roads, and the forest would appear quite 
as beautiful in its pristine luxuriance. To our eyes the 
addition of flowers from other countries is no improvement, 
though the feeling is otherwise here. More than once I 
have had a bouquet of common stocks given to me as a 
grand present, while orchids, gardenias, stephanotis, large 
purple, pink, and white azaleas, orange-blossom, and roses, 
were growing around in unheeded profusion. 

Wednesday, August 50th. — Once more a wet morning ; 
but as it cleared towards noon, we ordered horses and some 
luncheon, and went up to Pedro Bonito. The ride was 
pleasant enough at first, but as we mounted higher and 
higher, we got into the clouds and lost the view. Finally, 
there seemed nothing for it but to halt near the top, under 
a grove of orange-trees, lunch in the pouring rain, and 
return without having reached the summit. 



64 THE PEAK OF TIJUCA. 

Friday, September 1st. — At three o'clock this morning, 
when I awoke, I saw at last a bright, clear sky, and at five, 
finding that there was every prospect of a beautiful sun- 
rise, we sent for horses, ate our early breakfast, and set 
off for the peak of Tijuca. Step by step we climbed, first 
through the grounds of the hotel, then through the forest, 
till we reached ' The Bamboos,' a favourite halting-place, 
by the side of a stream, near which grow, in waving tufts, 
the graceful trees which lend their name to the spot. It 
was very beautiful in the hill-side forest, with a new 
prospect opening out at every step, and set in an ever- 
varying natural framework of foliage and flowers. There 
was not sufficient time to linger, however, as we would 
fain have done, in the cool and shady paths, occasionally 
illumed by the bright rays of the sun, shining through 
the foliage of noble palms, the fronds of tree-ferns, and the 
spiral stems of many-coloured creepers. 

Before reaching the top of the peak, there are twenty- 
nine wooden and ninety-six stone steps to be ascended, at 
the foot of which we tied our horses. An iron chain 
is hung by the side to assist you, without which it would 
be rather giddy work, for the steps are steep, and there 
is a sheer precipice on one side of them. Arrived at the 
top, the scene was glorious ; on every side mountains be- 
yond mountains stretch far away into the distance, and 
one can see as far north as Cape Frio, and southwards as 
far as Rio Grande do Sul, while beneath lies the bay of 
Rio, with its innumerable islands, islets, and indentations. 
All too soon we had to scramble down again, and mount 
our horses for a hurried return to the hotel, there being 
barely time for lunch and a scramble to the yacht. 

Monday, September 4th. — We were all up very early 
this morning, superintending the preparations for our eldest 
boy's departure for England. The yacht had been gaily 
dressed with flags, in honour of the anniversary of the 
Emperor's wedding-day ; but it must be confessed that 



A VERY SAD DAY. 65 

our own feelings were hardly in accordance with these ex- 
ternal symbols of joy. Breakfast was a melancholy meal, 
and I fear that the visitors from the 'Volage' were not 
very well entertained. After breakfast, we went ashore to 
the market, to get a couple of lion-monkeys, which had 
been kept for us, and which Tab was to take home with 
him to present to the Zoological Gardens. At one o'clock 
the steam-launch from the 'Volage' came alongside and 
embarked the luggage and servants. Half an hour later 
it returned for us ; then en me many tearful farewells to 
the crew, and we set off. We knew the parting had to be 
made, but this did not lessen our grief: for although it is 
at all times hard to say good-bye for a long period to those 
nearest and dearest to you, it is especially so in a foreign 
land, with the prospect of a long voyage on both sides. 
Moreover, it is extremely uncertain when we shall hear of 
our boy's safe arrival ; not, I fear, until we get to Valparaiso, 
and then only by telegram — a long time to look forward 
to. Over the next half-hour I had better draw a veil. 

At two o'clock precisely, just after we had left the steamer, 
the starting bell rang, and the ' Cotopaxi ' steamed away. 
As she passed the yacht, all our flags were dipped and the 
guns fired. Then we could see her rolling on the bar, for, 
calm as the water was in the bay, there was a heavy swell 
outside ; and then, all too soon, we lost sight of her, as she 

sank, 

'".-.". with all we love, below the verge.' 

We heard to-day that, the Saturday before our first 
arrival at Rio, the bar was quite impassable, even for a 
man-of-war, and that, although she succeeded the next 
day, the sea was extremely rough. 

On our return to the ' Sunbeam,' I went to bed to rest, 
and the remainder of the party went ashore. A great 
many visitors came on board in the course of the afternoon ; 
some remained to dine with us. At half-past nine we 
all went on shore again to a ball at the Casino, the grand 



66 A BRAZILIAN BALL. 

public room in Rio, to which we had been invited some 
days ago. It seemed a splendid place, beautifully decorated 
in white and gold and crimson, with frescoes and pictures 
let into the walls, and surrounded by galleries. It is ca- 
pable of containing fifteen hundred persons, and I believe 
that there were even more than that number present on 
the occasion of the ball given to the Duke of Edinburgh 
some years ago. The arrangement of the large cloak- 
rooms, refreshment-rooms, and passages downstairs, and 
the balconies and supper-rooms upstairs, is very convenient. 
The ball this evening being comparatively a small affair, 
the lower rooms only were used, and proved amply sufficient. 
There were not a great many ladies present, but amongst 
those we saw some were extremely pretty, and all were exqui- 
sitely dressed in the latest fashions from Paris. The toilettes 
of the younger ones looked fresh and simple, while those of 
the married ladies displayed considerable richness and 
taste ; for although Brazilian ladies do not go out much, 
and, as a rule, remain en peignoir until late in the afternoon, 
they never fail to exhibit great judgment in the selection 
of their costumes. 

The floor was excellent, but the band made rather too 
much noise, and the dancing was different, both in style 
and arrangement, from what we are accustomed to at home. 
The time had now come when we had to say farewell to 
the many kind friends whom we have met here, and who have 
made life so pleasant to us during the last three weeks, in 
order that we might return to the yacht, to complete our 
preparation for an early start. The last leave-takings were 
soon over, and, with mutually expressed hopes that we might 
ere long meet some of our friends in England, Tom and I 
drove off, in the bright moonlight, to the quay, where our 
boat was waiting for us. The other members of our party 
found the attractions of the ball so irresistible that they 
were unable to tear themselves away until a much later 
hour. 






■' 





The Three Navigators 



CHAPTER V. 

THE RIVER PLATE. 

Blue, glossy green, and velvet black, 
They coiled and swam ; and every track 
Was a flash of golden fire. 



Tuesday, September $tk — We got under way at 6 a.m., 
and soon bade adieu to Rio, where we have spent so many 
happy days, and to our friends on board H.M.S. ' Volage' 
and • Ready,' with whom we interchanged salutes in pass- 
ing. It was a dull wet morning, and we could not see 
much of the beauties we were leaving behind us. The 
peak of Tijuca and the summit of the Corcovado were 
scarcely visible, and the Sugarloaf and Gavia looked cold 
and grey in the early mist. It was not long before we 
were rolling on the bar, and then tumbling about in very 
uncomfortable fashion in the rough sea outside. One by 
one we all disappeared below, where most of us remained 



68 TOO NEAR TO BE PLEASANT. 

during the greater part of the day. As for me, I went to 
bed for good at six o'clock in the evening, but was called 
up again at ten, to see some large bonitos playing about 
the bows of the yacht. It was really worth the trouble 
of getting up and climbing quite into the bows of the ves- 
sel to watch them, as they gambolled and frisked about, 
brightly illumined by the phosphorescence of the water, 
now swimming together steadily in pairs or fours, now 
starting in sudden pursuit of one of their number, who 
would make an independent rush forward in advance of 
his companions. 

Saturday, September gt/i. — The last three days have 
been showery, with squalls which have freshened to a gale, 
and we are now scudding along, under all storm canvas, 
followed by crowds of cape-pigeons and cape-hens, and a 
few albatrosses. Towards this evening, however, the wind 
fell light, and we got up steam, in order to be prepared 
for any emergency, as a calm is frequently succeeded on 
this coast by a pampero, and we are now approaching a lee 
shore. 

Sunday, September loth. — Tom has been on deck nearly 
all night. The shore is very low and difficult to distinguish, 
and the lights are badly kept. If the lighthouse-keeper 
happens to have plenty of oil, and is not out shooting or fish- 
ing, he lights his lamp ; otherwise, he omits to perform this 
rather important part of his duties. The lighthouses can 
therefore hardly be said to be of much use. About 5 a.m. 
Kindred rushed down into our cabin, and woke Tom, calling 
out, ' Land to leeward, sir ! ' and then rushed up on deck 
again. The first glimmer of dawn had enabled him tc 
see that we were running straight on to the low sandy 
shore, about three miles off, a very strong current having 
set us ten miles out of our course. The yacht's head was 
accordingly at once put round, and steaming seaward we 
soon left all danger behind. The sun rose brilliantly, 
and the weather during the day was very fine. Morning 



MONTE VIDEO. 



service was impossible, owing to the necessity for a constant 
observation of the land ; but, after making the lighthouse 
on Santa Maria, we had prayers at 4.30 p.m., with the 
hymn, ' For those at Sea.' In the night we made the light 
on Flores, burning brightly, and before morning those in 
the harbour of Monte Video. 

Monday, September nth. — After making the Flores 
light we proceeded slowly, and dropped our anchor in the 
outer roads of Monte Video at 4 a.m. At seven o'clock 
we got it up again, and by eight were anchored close to 
the shore. We found that our arrival was expected, and 
the health-officers' boat was soon alongside. Next came 
an officer from the United States' man-of-war ' Frolic,' with 
polite messages and offers of service ; and then a steam- 
launch belonging to the Pacific Company, and another 
from the Consul, Major Monro, with piles of letters and 
newspapers for us. 

Monte Video, as seen from the water, is not an imposing- 
looking place. On the opposite side of the entrance to 
the harbour rises a hill, called the Cerro, 450 feet high, from 
which the town derives its name, and further inland, on the 
town side, is another eminence, 200 feet high, called the 
Cerrito. With these exceptions the surrounding country 
looks perfectly flat, without even a tree to break the 
monotony. 

Soon after breakfast we went ashore — in more senses 
of the word than one ; for they have commenced to build 
a mole for the protection of small vessels, which, in its 
unfinished state, is not yet visible above the water. The 
consequence was that, at a distance of about half a mile 
from the landing-steps, we rowed straight on to the sub- 
merged stonework, but fortunately got off again very 
quickly, without having sustained any damage. On land- 
ing, we found ourselves opposite the Custom House, a 
rine building, with which we afterwards made a closer 
acquaintance. 



COSMOPOLITAN ARCHITECTURE. 



There is a large and very good hotel here, l'Hdtel 
Oriental. It is a handsome building outside, and the 
interior is full of marble courts, stone corridors, and lofty 
rooms, deliciously cool in the hottest weather. Having 
procured a carriage, Tom and I and the children drove 
through the streets, which are wide and handsome, though 
badly paved, and so full of holes that it is a wonder 
how the springs of a carriage can last a week. The 
houses seem built chiefly in the Italian style of archi- 
tecture, with fine stucco fronts, and in many cases marble 
floors and facings, while the courtyards, seen through the 
grilles, blazed with flowers. All the lower windows were 
strongly barred, a precaution by no means unnecessary 
against the effects of the revolutions, which are of such 
frequent occurrence in this country. To enable the inha- 
bitants the better to enjoy the sea-breeze, the tops of the 
houses are all flat, which gives the town, from a distance, 
somewhat of an eastern appearance. There are a great 
many Italian immigrants here, and most of the building 
and plastering work is done by them. 

The Paseo del Molino is the best part of the town, 
where all the rich merchants reside in quintas, surrounded 
by pretty gardens. They are very fantastic in their 
ideas of architectural style, and appear to bestow their 
patronage impartially, not to say indiscriminately, upon 
Gothic cathedrals, Alhambra palaces, Swiss cottages, 
Italian villas, and Turkish mosoues. Except for this 
variety, the suburb has somewhat the appearance of the 
outskirts of many of the towns on the Riviera, with the 
same sub-tropical surroundings. These are, however, hard 
times on the River Plate, and more than half the quintas 
are deserted and falling into ruins. On our way back, by 
the Union Road, we met a great many of the native 
bullock-carts going home from market. These huge con- 
veyances are covered with hides, and are drawn by teams 
of from two to twelve bullocks, yoked in pairs, and driven 



SHOALS AND WRECKS. 71 

by a man on horseback, who carries a sharp-pointed goad, 
with which he prods the animals all round, at intervals. 
Dressed in a full white linen shirt and trousers, with his 
bright poncho and curious saddle-gear, he forms no unim- 
portant figure in the picturesque scene. In the large 
market-place there are hundreds of these carts, with their 
owners encamped around them. 

When we at last arrived on board the yacht again, at 
three o'clock, we found that the miseries of coaling were 
not yet over, and that there had been numerous visitors 
from the shore. Everything on deck looked black, while 
below all was pitch dark and airless, every opening and 
crevice having been closed and covered with tarpaulin, to 
keep out the coal dust. It took seven hours to complete 
the work, instead of two, as was hoped and promised, so our 
chance of starting to-day is over. This seemed the more dis- 
appointing, because, had we foreseen the delay, we might 
have made other arrangements for seeing more on shore. 

Tuesday, September 12th. — The anchor was up, and v/e 
were already beginning to steam away when I came on 
deck this morning, just in time to see the first faint streaks 
of dawn appearing in the grey sky. The River Plate here is 
over a hundred miles wide, and its banks are very flat ; so 
there was nothing to be seen, except the two little hills 
of Cerro and Cerrito and the town of Monte Video, fast 
vanishing in the distance. The channels are badly buoyed, 
and there are shoals and wrecks on all sides. The light- 
ships are simply old hulks, with no special marks by which 
to distinguish them ; and as they themselves look exactly 
like wrecks, they are not of much assistance in the navi- 
gation, which is very confusing, and sometimes perilous. 
Once we very nearly ran aground, but discovered just in 
time that the vessel we were steering for with confidence 
was only a wreck, on a dangerous shoal, and that the light- 
ship itself was further ahead. The yacht was immediately 
put about, and we just skirted the bank in turning. 



72 A PERILOUS PIER. 

The weather improved during the day, and a fine sunset 
was followed by a clear starlight night. At 10.30 p.m. we 
dropped our anchor outside all the other vessels in the roads 
at Buenos Ayres, eight miles from the shore. The light- 
ship only carried an ordinary riding light, like any other 
vessel, so that it was almost impossible, unless you knew 
the port very well, to go in closer to the land at night. 

Wednesday, September 13th. — Daylight did not enable 
us to distinguish the town, for the river here is wide and 
the banks are low, and we were lying a long way from 
the shore, outside a great many fine-looking ships, at 
anchor in the roads. About nine o'clock a German cap- 
tain, in a large whale-boat, came alongside and told us we 
were nearly eight miles from Buenos Ayres. Tom arranged 
with him to take us ashore ; and accordingly we soon started. 
The water was smooth and there was a nice breeze, and we 
sailed gallantly along for about two hours, until we reached 
the town. After anchoring, we transshipped ourselves into 
a small boat, in which we were rowed to some steps, at the 
end of the long rickety mole, where we landed. Some of 
the planks of the pier were missing, leaving great holes, 
big enough to fall through, and others were so loose that 
when you stepped upon one end of them the other flew up 
almost into your face. 

Our first business was to secure the services of a pilot, 
to take us up to Rosario. The best man on the river was 
sent for ; but when he came he did not recommend our 
nndertaking the voyage, as the water is very low at pre- 
sent, and we might get stuck on a sandbank, and be de- 
tained for some days, although no further harm would be 
likely to occur to us. We decided, therefore, as our time 
is precious, to give up the idea of making the expe- 
dition in the yacht, and to go in the ordinary river-boat 
instead. 

Under the guidance of some gentlemen, we then went 
to the Central Railway Station to send off some telegrams. 



AN AGRICULTURAL SHOW. 73 

and thence to the River Plate Bank. The treasury con- 
tains 600,000/. in British sovereigns, locked up in three 
strong safes, besides paper-money and securities to the 
amount of 2,000,000/. It was the Rosario branch of this 
bank which was recently robbed of 1 5,000/. by an armed 
government force ; an unprecedented proceeding in the 
history of nations, and one that might have led to the 
interference of foreign powers. 

There was time afterwards to go round and see some- 
thing of the city, which, like many other South American 
towns, is built in square blocks, all the streets running 
exactly at right angles one to another. There is a fine 
plaza, or grand square, in which are situated the cathedral, 
theatre, &c, the centre being occupied by a garden, con- 
taining statues and fountains. The various banks, with 
their marble facings, Corinthian columns, and splendid 
halls, are magnificent buildings, and look more like palaces 
than places of business. Some of the private houses, too, 
seem very handsome. Outside they are all faced with 
marble, to a certain height from the ground, the interior, 
consisting of courtyard within courtyard, being rather 
like that of a Pompeian house. 

We next went to the agricultural show, which, though 
not an imposing affair to our eyes, appeared really very 
creditable to those who had organised it. The horses and 
cattle looked small, but there were some good specimens 
of sheep — specially the rombonellis and negrettis, whose 
long fine wool was, however, only to be discovered by first 
turning aside a thick plaster of mud, beneath which it was 
concealed. We saw also some curious animals, natives of 
the country, such as vicunas, llamas, bizcachas, and various 
kinds of deer, a very mixed lot of poultry and dogs, and 
two magnificent Persian cats. Another department of the 
show was allotted to the commercial products of the 
country, animal, vegetable, and mineral ; the -whole forming 
a very interesting collection. 



74 AN UNCERTAIN ROADSTEAD. 

In re- embarking, the disagreeable process of this morn- 
ing had to be repeated — rickety pier, rotten steps, and 
small boat included — before we reached the whale-boat, 
after which we had an eight miles' sail out to the yacht. 
It was a cold, dull night, and getting on board proved rather 
difficult work, owing to the rough sea. 

Thursday, September 14th. — The pilot came on board 
at seven o'clock to take us in nearer the shore, but, after 
all, we found ourselves obliged to anchor again five miles 
off. No ship drawing more than ten feet can get inside 
the sand-banks, which makes it a wretched place to lie in, 
especially as the weather at this time of year is very uncer- 
tain. You may go ashore from your ship on a fine clear 
morning, and before you return a gale may have sprung 
up, accompanied by a frightful sea. Open boats are there- 
fore quite unsafe, a state of things which has given rise to 
the existence of a class of fine boats, specially built for 
the service, which attend all the ships lying in the roads. 
They are half-decked, will sail in any weather, and can 
be easily managed by two men. 

About ten o'clock we went ashore again in the whale- 
boat, which Tom had engaged to wait on us during our 
stay, and made the best of our way to a warehouse to look 
at some ponchos, which are the speciality of this part of 
South America. Everybody wears one, from the beggar 
to the highest official. The best kind of ponchos are very 
expensive, being made from a particular part of the finest 
hair of the vicuna, hand-woven by women, in the province 
of Catamarca. The genuine article is difficult to get, even 
here. In the shops the price usually varies from 30/. to 
80/. ; but we were shown some at a rather lower price — 
from 20/. to 60/. each. They are soft as silk, perfectly 
waterproof, and will wear, it is said, for ever. We met a 
fine-looking man in one of beautiful quality yesterday. 
He told us that it originally cost 30/. in Catamarca, twenty 
years ago, and that he gave 20/. for it, second-hand, ten 



VICUNA PONCHOS. 75 

years ago ; and, with the exception of a few slight tears, 
it is now as good as ever. Before we came here, we were 
strongly advised, in case we should happen to go on a 
rough expedition up country, not to be tempted to take 
with us any good ponchos, as the Gauchos, or half-bred 
Indians of the Pampas, who are great connoisseurs of these 
articles, and can distinguish their quality at a glance, 
would not hesitate to cut our throats in order to obtain 
possession of them. 

The material of which they are made is of the closest 
texture, and as the hair has never been dressed or dyed it 
retains all its natural oil and original colour, the latter 
varying from a very pretty yellow fawn to a pale cream- 
colour. The majority of the ponchos worn here are, how- 
ever, made at Manchester, of a cheap and inferior material. 
They look exactly like the real thing at first sight, but are 
neither so light nor so warm, nor do they wear at all well. 
Occasionally they are made of silk, but more often of 
bright-coloured wool. In shape a poncho is simply a square 
shawl with a hole in the middle for the head of the wearer. 
On horseback the appearance is particularly picturesque, 
and it forms also a convenient cloak, which comes well over 
the saddle, before and behind, and leaves the arms, though 
covered, perfectly free. 

The natives, as a rule, wear a second poncho, generally 
of a different colour, tucked into the waistband of their 
long full linen drawers {calzoncillos), so as to make a pair 
of short baggy over-trousers. A poor man is content with 
a shirt, drawers, and two ponchos. A rich man has many 
rows of fringe and frills of lace at the bottom of his cal- 
zoncillos, and wears a short coat, with silver buttons, and a 
gorgeous silver belt, covered with dollars. His horse- 
fittings and massive stirrups (to say nothing of his enormous 
spurs) will be of solid silver, and his arms inlaid with the 
same metal. He will sometimes give as much as from 10/. 
to 20/. for a pair of stirrups alone, and the rest of his dress 



76 FEATHERED SENTINELS, 

and equipment is proportionately expensive. The cost of 
the silver articles is little more than the value of the metal 
itself, which is of very pure quality, and is only roughly 
worked by the Indians or Gauchos. But as Manchester 
provides the ponchos, so does Birmingham the saddlery 
and fittings, especially those in use in the neighbourhood 
of towns. 

After inspecting the ponchos, we breakfasted with some 
friends, and about noon started in the train for Campana. 
The line passes at first through the streets of Buenos Ayres, 
and thence into the open country, beautifully green, and 
undulating like the waves of the sea. Near the town and 
the suburb of Belgrano are a great many peach-tree 
plantations, the fruit of which is used for fattening pigs 
while the wood serves for roasting them. There is also 
some scrubby brushwood, and a few large native trees ; 
but these are soon left behind, and are succeeded by far- 
spreading rich pasture land, and occasional lagunes. 

We saw for the first time the holes of the bizcachas, 
or prairie- dogs, outside which the little prairie-owls keep 
guard. There appeared to be always one, and generally 
two, of these birds, standing, like sentinels, at the entrance 
to each hole, with their wise-looking heads on one side, 
pictures of prudence and watchfulness. The bird and the 
beast are great friends, and are seldom to be found apart. 
We also passed several enormous flocks of sheep and herds 
of cattle, most of them quite unattended, though some 
were being driven by men on horseback. There were 
quantities of plovers, and a great many partridges, of two 
kinds, large and small, and the numerous lagunes were 
covered with and surrounded by water-fowl of all kinds — 
wild swans and ducks, snipe, white storks, grey herons, 
black cormorants, and scarlet flamingoes, the last-named 
standing at the edge of the water, catching fish, and oc- 
casionally diving below the surface. On the very top of 
some of the teleeraph-posts were the nests of the oven- 



UP THE PARANA. 77 

bird, looking like carved round blocks of wood, placed 
there for ornament. These nests are made of mud, and 
are perfectly spherical in form, the interior being divided 
into two quite distinct chambers. 

Campana was reached by four o'clock, the train running 
straight on to the pier, alongside of which the two vessels 
were lying, with steam up. Passengers, baggage, and freight 
were immediately transferred from the train to the boats ; and 
we soon found ourselves steaming along in the ' Uruguay,' 
between the willow-hung banks of the broad Parana. The 




Prairie Do£s and O-wia 

country, though otherwise flat and uninteresting, looks very 
pretty just now, in its new spring coat of bright green. 

We passed several small towns, amongst others, San 
Pedro and San Nicolas, which are quite important-looking 
places, with a good deal of shipping, and occasionally 
stopped to pick up passengers, who had come in boats 
and steam-launches from far-distant villages, situated on 
lagunes, which our steamer could not enter. 

Just before arriving at each stopping-place, we had a 
race with the ' Proveedor,' and whenever she became visible 
at a bend in the river, half a ton more coal was immediately 
heaped on to our fires by the captain's order — a piece of 



78 RUINOUS COMPETITION. 

reckless extravagance, for, do what they would, they could 
not make us gain five minutes. The competition is, how- 
ever, very fierce, and I suppose the two companies will not 
be satisfied until they have ruined one another ; whereas, if 
each would run a steamer on alternate days, they and the 
public would be equally benefited. The fares are exceed- 
ingly reasonable, being less than 3/. for the whole journey 
from Buenos Ayres to Rosario, including all charges. 

Friday, September i$th. — A violent storm of thunder 
and lightning, apparently just above our heads, woke us at 
six o'clock this morning. Torrents of rain followed, and 
continued to fall until we dropped our anchor at Rosario, 
at 8.45 a.m., just as we were in the middle of breakfast, in 
our cozy little stern cabin. Half an hour later we landed, 
though the rain still came down in sheets, but the steamer 
was now alongside the pier, and close carriages had been 
provided. A few minutes' drive through ill-paved streets 
brought us to the Hotel Universel, a handsome, spacious 
building, with marble courtyards, full of trees, plants, and 
flowers, into which all the sitting-rooms open. Above are 
galleries, round which the various bed-rooms are in like 
manner ranged. It all looked nice and cool, and suitable 
for hot weather, but it was certainly rather draughty and 
cheerless on such a cold, pouring wet day, and all our efforts 
to make our large room, in which there were four immense 
windows, at all comfortable, were vain. 

Rosario, like Buenos Ayres, is built in squares. The 
streets are generally well paved with black and white 
marble, but the roadways are composed of little round 
stones, and are full of holes and inequalities, so that, in 
crossing the road after heavy rain, one steps from the trot- 
toir into a very slough of despond. The universal tramway 
runs down the centre of every street. 

After luncheon we made a fresh start for Carcarafia by 
a special train, to which were attached two goods-vans, 
full of horses, and a carriage truck, containing a most 



CENTRAL ARGENTINE RAILWAY. 



comfortable American carriage, in shape not unlike a Vic- 
toria, only much lighter and with very high wheels. After 
a short journey through a rich, fiat, grass country, we 
arrived at Roldan, the first colony of the Central Argen- 
tine Land Company. Here we all alighted, the horses 
were taken out of the vans, saddled, bridled, and harnessed, 
and the gentlemen rode and I drove round the colony, 
along what are generally roads, but to-day were sheets of 
water. We saw many colonists, of every grade, from those 
still occupying the one-roomed wooden cottages, originally 
supplied by the Land Company, standing in the midst of 
ill-cultivated fields, to those who had built for themselves 
good houses in the town, or nice cottages, with pretty 
gardens, surrounded by well-tilled lands. 

The drive ended at the mill belonging to a retired 
officer of the British army, who has settled here with his 
wife and two dear little children. Here we had tea and 
a pleasant chat, and then returned to the train and proceeded 
to Carcarana, the next station on the line. Now, however, 
instead of the rich pasture lands and flourishing crops 
which we had hitherto seen on all sides, our road lay through 
a desolate-looking district, bearing too evident signs of the 
destructive power of the locust. People travelling with us 
tell us that, less than a week ago, the pasture here was as 
fresh and green as could be desired, and the various crops 
were a foot high ; but that, in the short space of a few 
hours, the care and industry of the last ten months were 
rendered utterly vain and useless, and the poor colonists 
found their verdant fields converted into a barren waste by 
these rapacious insects. 

Carcarana may be called the Richmond — one mighr 
almost say the Brighton — of Rosario. It stands on a river, 
the Carcarafial, to the banks of which an omnibus runs 
twice a day from the railway-station, during the season, to 
take people to bathe. Near the station is also an excellent 
little hotel, containing a large dining -room and a few bed- 



THE 'RICHMOND* OF ROSARIO. 



rooms, kept by two Frenchwomen ; and here the Rosarians 
come out by train to dine and enjoy the fresh air. It was 
quite dark by the time we arrived, so that we could not see 
much of the flourishing little colony which has been formed 
here. We therefore paddled across the wet road to the 
inn, where, despite the somewhat rough surroundings, we 
enjoyed a capital dinner, cooked in the true French style. 
They are specially celebrated here for their asparagus, but 
the locusts had devoured all but a very few stalks, besides 
which they were held responsible, on the present occasion, 
for the absence of other vegetables and salad. Yesterday 
there was a grand wedding-party near here, the complete 
success of which was, we were told, somewhat marred by 
the fact, that for six hours, in the very middle of the day, 
it became absolutely necessaiy to light candles, owing to the 
dense clouds of locusts, about a league in extent, by which 
the air was darkened. Trains are even stopped by these 
insects occasionally ; for they appear to like a hard road, 
and when they get on the line their bodies make the rails 
so greasy that the wheels of the engines will not bite. 
Moreover, they completely obscure the lights and signals, 
so that the men are afraid to proceed. The only remedy, 
therefore, is to go very slowly, preceded by a truck-load of 
sand, which is scattered freely over the rails in front of the 
engine. Horses will not always face a cloud of locusts, 
even to get to their stables, but turn round and stand dog- 
gedly still, until it has passed. 

After dinner we once more stepped into our special 
train, in which we arrived at Rosario at about half-past 
nine o'clock, thoroughly tired out 



CHAPTER VI. 

LIFE ON THE PAMPAS. 

There s tempest in yon horned moon. 
And lightning in yon cloud ; 
But hark the music, mariners i 
The wind is piping loud. 

Saturday, September i6t/i. — Waking at half-past five, we 
busied ourselves until nine o'clock, when we again started 
in a special train for Carcarana. After a short stop 
at Roldan, it was reached two hours later, and breakfast 
was followed by a long ride through the Land Company's 
colony, and from thence to Candelaria, a purely Spanish 
settlement. 

I freely confess that I had hardly believed all the stories 
they told me last night about the terrible doings of the 
locusts, and thought they must have been slightly exagger- 
ated. It all seemed too dreadful to be true — as if one of 
the plagues of Egypt had been revived by the wand of an 
evil magician. In this somewhat incredulous mood I rashly 
said that, although I was very sorry to hear of the visit of 
these destructive creatures, as they were unfortunately here, 
I should like to see them. My wish was shortly to be 
gratified ; for, in the course of our ride, we saw in the- 
distant sky what looked very much like a heavy purple 
thunder-cloud, but which the experienced pronounced to 
be a swarm of locusts. It seemed impossible ; but as we 
proceeded they met us, first singly, and then in gradually 
increasing numbers, until each step became positively pain- 
ful, owin? to the smart blows we received from them on 



82 a PLA G UE OF LOCUSTS. 

our heads, faces, and hands. We stopped for a time at Mr. 
Holt's large estancia, where, notwithstanding the general 
appearance of prosperity, the traces of the ravages of the 
locusts were only too visible. On remounting, to proceed 
on our journey, we found that the cloud had approached 
much nearer, the effect produced by its vaiying position 
being most extraordinary. As the locusts passed between 
us and the sun they completely obscured the light ; a little 
later, with the sun's rays shining directly on their wings, 
they looked like a golden cloud, such as one sometimes 
sees in the transformation scene of a pantomime ; and, at 
a greater distance, when viewed from the top of a slight 
eminence, they looked like a snow-storm, or a field of 
snow-white marguerites, which had suddenly taken to them- 
selves wings. When on the ground, with their wings closed, 
they formed a close mass of little brown specks, completely 
hiding the ground and crops, both grass and grain. In 
riding over them, though not a quarter of their number 
could rise, for want of space in which to spread their wings, 
they formed such a dense cloud that we could see nothing 
else, and the horses strongly objected to face them. They 
got into one's hair and clothes, and gave one the creeps 
all over. I am sure I shall often dream of them for some 
time to come, and I have quite made up my mind that I 
never wish to see another locust as long as I live. I have, 
however, secured some fine specimens for any one who is 
curious about them. 

The land we passed through appeared to be well farmed. 
We spoke to several of the colonists, especially to one 
Italian family, living in a little mud rancho with a tile 
roof. They were all gathered together to witness the dying 
agonies of one of their best cows, perishing from the effects 
of the drought. The rest of the animals in the corral looked, 
I am sorry to say, thin and miserable, and as if they 
intended soon to follow their companion's example. The 
poor people, nevertheless, seemed very cheery and con- 



A GARDEN CN THE PAMPAS. 83 

tented, and hospitably gave us each a drink of some remark- 
ably muddy water. 

After a thirty-mile ride under a hot sun, fortunately on 
the easiest of horses, we were none of us sorry to stop for 
a short time at Carcaraiia, and obtain some refreshment, 
before proceeding — horses, carriage, and all — by train to 
Rosario, another colony on the line. Arrived at the latter 
place, I thought I had had enough riding for the first day, 
and therefore visited the various farms and houses in the 
carriage, the rest of the party going, as before, on horse- 
back. After a round of about fifteen miles, we returned to 
the station, where we were kindly received by the sister of 
the station-master. An excellent dinner was provided for 
us in the refreshment-room, before we entered our special 
train, and Rosario was reached at about ten o'clock. 

Simday, September ijth. — A kind friend sent his car- 
riage to take us to the English church, a brick building, 
built to replace the small iron church that existed here 
previously, and only opened last month. The service was 
well performed, and the singing of the choir excellent 
We paid a visit to the Sunday schools after luncheon, 
and then drove to the quinta of Baron Alvear. The road 
iies through the town, past the race-course, crowded with 
Gauchos, getting up scratch races amongst themselves, and 
on, over undulating plains and water-courses, into the open 
country. Sometimes there was a track, sometimes none. 
In some places the pastures were luxuriantly green ; in 
others the ground was carpeted with white, lilac, and 
scarlet verbena, just coming into bloom — for it is still 
early spring here. Here and there came a bare patch, com- 
pletely cleared by the locusts, who had also stripped many 
of the fine timber trees in the garden of the quinta. On the 
gate-posts, at the entrance, were the nests of two oven- 
birds, like those we had already seen on the telegraph-posts, 
so exactly spherical as to look like ornaments. In one of 
the shrubberies a fine jaguar was shut up in a cage> who 



8 4 



HO W SEEDS ARE SPREAD. 




Devil's Horns. 



looked very like a tiger. Though he had evidently just 
had his dinner, he was watching with greedy interest the 
proceedings of some natives in charge of a horse — an animal 
which he esteems a great delicacy when procurable. 

On our way across the camp we saw a great quantity 
of the seeds of the Martynia proboscidea, mouse-burrs 

as they call them, — devil's 
claws or toe-nails : they are 
curious-looking things, as 
the annexed woodcut will 
show. 

Frank Buckland has a 
theory — and very likely a 
correct one — that they are 
created in this peculiar 
form for the express pur- 
pose of attaching them- 
selves to the long tails of 
the wild horses that roam about the country in troops of 
hundreds. They carry them thousands of miles, and dis- 
seminate the seed wherever they go at large in search of 
food and water. 

When we returned to Rosario we noticed a great crowd 
still on the race-course, and were just in time to see the 
finish of one race, ridden barebacked, and for a very 
short distance. All the races are short ; and as the natives 
are always engaging in these little contests of speed, the 
horses get into the habit of extending themselves directly 
you put them out of a walk. But the least touch is sufficient 
to stop them immediately, and I never saw horses better 
broken than they are here. The most fearful bits are used 
for the purpose ; but when once this is accomplished, the 
mere inclination of the body, or the slightest pressure of the 
finger upon the bridle, is sufficient to guide them. They will 
maintain, for almost any length of time, a quick canter — 
what thev call here ' a little eallop ' — at the rate of three 



A PLUCKY WOMAN. 



leagues (ten miles) an hour, without showing the slightest 
sign of fatigue. They don't like being mounted, and always 
fidget a little then, but are quite quiet directly you are in 
the saddle. I rode several horses which had never carried 
a lady before ; but after the first few minutes they did not 
seem to mind the riding-habit in the least. They evi- 
dently dislike standing still, unless you dismount and throw 
the rein on the ground, when they will remain stationary 
for hours. 

Monday, SeptemberiZth. — The early part of this morning 
was spent in much the same way as on Saturday, Tom 
going as before to the Land Company's Office, whilst I 
remained at home to write. 

At nine o'clock we proceeded to the station, and started 
in our comfortable railway carriage for Tortugas. We formed 
quite a large party altogether, and the journey over the now 
familiar line, past Roldan, Carcarana, and Canada de Gomez, 
was a very pleasant one. At Tortugas we left the train, 
and paid a visit to one of the overseers of the colony and 
his cheery little French wife, who, we found, had been ex- 
pecting us all day on Saturday. A few weeks ago this 
lady's sister was carried off by Indians, with some other 
women and children. After riding many leagues, she 
seized her opportunity, pushed the Indian who was carrying 
her off his horse, turned the animal's head round, and 
galloped back across the plain, hotly pursued, until within a 
mile or two of the colony, by the rest of the band. It was 
a plucky thing for a little bit of a woman to attempt with a 
great powerful savage, and she is deservedly looked upon in 
the village as quite a heroine. 

The journey between Rosario and Cordova occupies 
twelve hours by the ordinary train ; and as Frayle Muerto 
is exactly half-way between the two places, the trains 
going in either direction commence their journey at the 
same hours (6 a.m. and 6 p.m.), by which means the passen- 
gers meet each other here in time to breakfast and dine 



TREMENDOUS THUNDERSTORM. 



together. There is a fine bridge over the river near Frayle 
Muerto, but the place is principally celebrated as having 
been the site of the Henleyite colony, which caused dis- 
appointment to so many young men of family, who were 
induced to come out here from England and to go up 
country, with no other result than the loss of all their money. 
The scheme was supposed to be perfect in all its details, 
but proved upon a closer acquaintance to be utterly worth- 
less. The iron church at Rosario is still standing, which 
the members of the expedition took up there, and we have 
also met some of the young men themselves at various 
times. 

The train did not reach Cordova until 7.30 p.m., and it 
was therefore too late for us to see much of the approach 
to the city, but to-morrow we intend to do a good deal 
in that way. In the middle of the night we were aroused 
by a violent thunderstorm. The lightning was most vivid, 
and illuminated our room with many colours. The rain 
fell heavily, flooding everything, and making the streets 
look like rivers, and the courtyard of the hotel like a lake. 
It is one of the oldest, and, at the same time, one of 
the most unhealthy, of the cities of South America, for it 
is built in the hollow of the surrounding hills, where no 
refreshing breezes can penetrate. 

Travelling in Brazil is like passing through a vast hot- 
house, filled with gorgeous tropical vegetation and forms 
of insect life. In the neighbourhood of Monte Video you 
might imagine yourself in a perpetual greenhouse. Here 
it is like being in a vast garden, in which the greenest 
of turf, the brightest of bedding-out plants, and the most 
fragrant flowering shrubs abound. Each country, therefore, 
possesses its own particular beauty, equally attractive in 
its way. 

Shortly after leaving Cordova we passed through an 
Indian village ; but, except at this point, we did not meet 
many natives during our ride. One poor woman, however 



EASTERN SIERRAS OF THE ANDES. 



37 



whom we did unfortunately encounter, had a fall from her 
horse, owing to the animal being frightened at the umbrella 
I carried, yet my own horse had, after a very brief objec- 
tion, quietly submitted to the introduction of this novelty 
into the equipment of his rider. 

We found that the hotel on the Caldera for which we 
were bound was shut up ; but one of the party had the 
keys, and an excellent lunch quickly made its appearance. 




La Calera. 



The view from the verandah, over the river, to the Sierras 
beyond, was very fine. It had become quite hot by this 
time, and I was much interested in seeing all our horses 
taken down to the water to bathe. They appeared to be 
perfectly familiar with the process ; and, the river being 
shallow, they picked out all the nice holes between the 
boulders, where they could lie down and be completely 
covered by the water. Just as we were starting to return, 
black clouds gathered from all around ; the lightning 
flashed, the thunder muttered, and big drops began to falL 



STELLAR PHOTOGRAPHS. 



But the storm was not of long duration, and we escaped 
the worst part of it, though we had ample evidence of its 
severity during our homeward ride, in the slippery ground, 
the washed-away paths, and the swollen ditches. We 
stopped half-way to see the drowning out of some poor 
little bizcachas from their holes. The water had been 
turned into their dwellings by means of trenches, and as 
the occupants endeavoured to make their escape at the 
other end they were pounced upon by men and dogs ; the 
prairie-owls meanwhile hovering disconsolately overhead. 
Two of the gentlemen of our party each managed to pur- 
chase a living bizcacha, which was then wrapped up in a 
handkerchief and conveyed home. When young they are 
pretty little creatures, and are easily tamed. 

It was late when we reached Cordova ; but I was 
anxious to visit the Observatory before our departure, as it 
is one of the best, though not by any means the largest, in 
the world. Professor Gould, the astronomer, is away just 
at present, but we were kindly received by Mrs. Gould, who 
conducted us over the building. They have a fine collec- 
tion of various instruments and some wonderful photo- 
graphs of the principal stars — Saturn, with his ring and 
eight moons, Jupiter, with his four moons, Venus, Mercury, 
&c. , If we could have stayed longer we might have seen 
much more ; but it was now quite dark, and we had only 
just time for a short visit to the observing room itself. 
Our ride down to the city in the dark would have been 
exceedingly risky if our horses had been less sure-footed, 
for the roads had been washed away in many places, but 
we reached the bottom of the Observatory hill in safety, 
and shortly afterwards arrived at the hotel just in time for 
dinner. 

After dinner we drove to the station, where we found all 
our own party assembled, and many more people, who had 
come to see us off. I was given the Chilian bit used for 
the horse I rode to-day, as a remembrance of my visit. It 



CHILIAN BITS. 89 



is a most formidable-looking instrument of torture, and one 
which I am sure my dear little steed did not in the least 
require ; but I suppose the fact of having once felt it, when 
being broken in, is sufficient for a lifetime, for the horses 
here have certainly the very lightest mouths I ever met 
with. A gift of a young puma, or small lion, was also wait- 
ing for me. It is about four months old, and very tame ; 
but, considering the children, I think it will be more pru- 
dent to pass it on to the Zoo, in London. 

The train started at 8.30 p.m. and took an hour to 
reach Rio Segundo, where we found tea and coffee pre- 
pared. After that we proceeded to make our arrange- 
ments for the night ; some of the gentlemen sleeping in 
the saloon-carriages, and some on beds made up in the 
luggage-van. Tom and I turned into our two cozy little 
berths, and knew nothing more until we were called at 
4.30 a.m. at Canada de Gomez. The lamp had gone out, 
and we found it rather difficult work dressing and packing 
in the cold and dark ; but it was soon done, and a cup 
of hot coffee in the refreshment-room afterwards made us 
feel quite comfortable. 

Then we all separated : Captain Dunlop to join his 
ship ; Tom to complete his report on the colonies of 
the Central Argentine Land Company, which he is pre- 
paring in compliance with the request of the Directors 
in London ; while the rest of the party awaited the arrival 
of the waggonette which was to take us to the estancia of 
Las Rosas. 

Wednesday, September 20th. — At 6.30 a.m. the wag- 
gonette arrived, a light but strong, unpainted vehicle, 
drawn by a pair of active little well-bred horses, both of 
whom had been raced in their day. There were but s. 
few leagues of cultivated ground to be passed before we 
reached the broad, undulating, solitary Pampas, where for 
some time the only visible signs of life were to be found 
in the Teru-tero birds (a sort of plover), who shrieked 



90 PRAIRIES AND CANADAS. 

discordantly as we disturbed their repose ; the partridges, 
large and small, put up by the retriever who accompanied 
us ; some prairie fowls ; a great many hawks, of all sizes ; 
and the pretty little wydah-birds, with their two immense 
tail feathers, four times the length of their bodies. The 
first glimpse of the far-spreading prairie was most strik- 
ing in all its variations of colour. The true shade of the 
Pampas grass, when long, is a light dusty green ; when short 
it is a bright fresh green. But it frequently happens that, 
owing to the numerous prairie-fires, either accidental or in- 
tentional, nothing is to be seen but a vast expanse of black 
charred ground, here and there relieved by a few patches 
of vivid green, where the grass is once more springing up 
under the influence of the rain. 

The road, or rather track, was in a bad condition, 
owing to the recent wet weather, and on each side of the 
five canadas, or small rivers, which we had to ford, there 
were deep morasses, through which we had to struggle as 
best we could, with the mud up to our axletrees. Just 
before arriving at the point where the stream had to be 
crossed, the horses were well flogged and urged on at a 
gallop, which they gallantly maintained until the other 
side was reached. Then we stopped to breathe the horses 
and to repair damages, generally finding that a trace had 
given way, or that some other part of the harness had 
shown signs of weakness. On one occasion we were 
delayed for a considerable time by the breaking of the 
splinter-bar, to repair which was a troublesome matter; 
indeed, I don't know how we should have managed it if we 
had not met a native lad, who sold us his long lasso to 
bind the pieces together again. It was a lucky rencontre 
for us, as he was the only human being we saw during the 
whole of our drive of thirty miles, except the peon who 
brought us a change of horses, half-way. 

In the course of the journey we passed a large estancia 
the road to which was marked by the dead bodies and 



STARVING CATTLE. 91 

skeletons of the poor beasts who had perished in the late 
droughts. Hundreds of them were lying about in every 
stage of decay, those more recently dead being surrounded 
by vultures and other carrion-birds. The next Canada 
that we crossed was choked up with the carcases of the 
unfortunate creatures who had struggled thus far for a last 
drink, and had then not had sufficient strength left to ex- 
tricate themselves from the water. Herds of miserable- 
looking, half-starved cattle were also to be seen, the cows 
very little larger than their calves, and all apparently 
covered with the same rough shaggy coats. The pasture is 
not fine enough in this part of the country to carry sheep, 
but deer are frequently met with. 

A little later we again began to approach cultivated 
land, and a mile or two further brought us to a broad road, 
with high palings on either side, down which we drove, and 
through the yard, to the door of the estancia. The house 
is a one-story building, one room wide, with a verandah in 
front and at the back, one side of which faces the yard, the 
other a well-kept garden, full of violets and other spring 
flowers, and roses just coming into bloom. There are 
several smaller detached buildings, in which the sleeping 
apartments are situated, and which are also provided with 
verandahs and barred windows. Having visited the various 
rooms, in company with our hosts, we sat down to a rough 
but substantial breakfast, to which full justice was done. 
Travelling all night, and a ride of thirty miles in the 
fresh morning air, have a tendency to produce a keen 
appetite ; and the present occasion proved no exception to 
that rule. 

After breakfast I rested and wrote some letters, while 
the gentlemen inspected the farm and stud. The pro- 
prietor of this estancia has the best horses in this part of 
the country, and has taken great pains to improve their 
breed, as well as that of the cattle and sheep, by importing 
thorough-breds from England. Unlike the Arabs neither 



92 BEGGARS ON HORSEBACK. 

natives nor settlers here think of riding mares, and it is 
considered quite a disgrace to do so. They are therefore 
either allowed to run wild in troops, or are used to trample 
out corn or to make mud for bricks. They are also fre- 
quently killed and boiled down, for the sake of their hides 
and tallow, the value of which does not amount to more 
than about 10s. per head. Large herds of them are met 
with at this time of the year on the Pampas, attended by 
a few horses, and accompanied by their foals. 

The natives of these parts pass their lives in the saddle. 
Horses are used for almost every conceivable employment, 
from hunting and fishing to brick-making and butter- 
churning. Even the very beggars ride about on horse- 
back. I have seen a photograph of one, with a police 
certificate of mendicancy hanging round his neck, taken 
from life for Sir Woodbine Parish. Every domestic ser- 
vant has his or her own horse, as a matter of course ; and 
the maids are all provided with habits, in which they ride 
about on Sundays, from one estancia to another, to pay 
visits. In fishing, the horse is ridden into the water as 
far as he can go, and the net or rod is then made use of 
by his rider. At Buenos Ayres I have seen the poor 
animals all but swimming to the shore, with heavy carts 
and loads, from the ships anchored in the inner roads ; for 
the water is so shallow that only very small boats can go 
alongside the vessels, and the cargo is therefore transferred 
directly to the carts to save the trouble and expense of 
transshipment. In out-of-the-way places, on the Pampas, 
where no churns exist, butter is made by putting milk into 
a goat-skin bag, attached by a long lasso to the saddle of 
a peon, who is then set to gallop a certain number of miles, 
with the bag bumping and jumping along the ground after 
him. 

About four o'clock the horses — much larger and better 
bred animals than those we have been riding lately — were 
brought round from the corral. Mine was a beauty ; easy, 



A MOTLEY PACK. 93 

gentle, and fast. We first took a canter round the culti- 
vated ground, about 300 acres in extent, and in capital 
condition. Lucerne grows here splendidly, and can be cut 
seven times a year. As we left the yard, Mr. Nield's man 
asked if lie would take the dogs. He replied in the 
negative ; but I suppose he must have referred to the grey- 
hounds only, for we were certainly accompanied on the 
present occasion by eleven dogs of various sorts and sizes, 
those left behind being shut up and kept without food, in 
anticipation of the stag-hunt to-morrow. We rode over 
the race-course, where the horses are trained, and on to 
the partridge ground. The larger kind of these birds are 
extremely stupid, and are easily ridden down by a horse- 
man, or caught in a noose. They rise three times, and 
after the third flight they are so exhausted and terrified 
that it is easy to dismount and catch them with the hand, as 
they lie panting on the long grass. Partridge-hunting is 
considered good sport. It is necessary to keep your eye 
constantly fixed upon the bird, and to watch where he 
settles, and then to gallop to the spot as hard as possible, 
leaving your horse to look after himself amid the long 
grass ; and this manoeuvre has to be repeated until at last 
the unfortunate bird is overtaken and caught. 

As we were riding along, the dogs found and killed a 
bizcacha, in a bank. Just as Mr. Elliott had pulled it out, 
and had laid it, dead, in the field, its little companion owl 
arrived, and appeared to be in the most dreadful state of 
mind. It shrieked and cried, as it hovered over us, and 
finally selected a small white fox terrier, who, I think, really 
had been principally concerned in the death, as the object 
of its vengeance, pouncing down upon his head, and giving 
him two or three good pecks, at the same time flapping its 
wings violently. The other dogs drove it off; but more 
than half an hour afterwards, while we were looking at some 
horses, nearly a mile from the spot, the plucky little owl 
returned to the charge, and again swooped down upon the 



94 A FAITHFUL FRIEND. 

same dog, with a dismal cry, and administered a vigorous 
peck to him. Altogether it was a striking and interesting 
proof of the attachment existing between these curious 
birds and beasts ; the object of the owl in the present 
instance clearly being to revenge if possible the death of its 
friend. 

On our return to the farm, we went all round the place, 
and found that everything was being made secure for the 
night ; after which we watched all the servants come in 
one by one for their daily ration of grog, and then retired to 
dress for dinner, shortly after which, being thoroughly tired 
out, I retired to my bed-room, attended by a very kind old 
Irishwoman, who had been deputed to look after me. My 
mind was at first somewhat disturbed by the discovery of 
one or two enormous toads and long-armed spiders in my 
apartment ; but they fortunately did not interfere with my 
repose, for I slept like a top. All the rooms being on the 
ground-floor, it is almost impossible entirely to exclude 
intruders of this description. I admired very much what I 
took to be two fine ponchos, of a delicate fawn-colour, used 
as tablecloths, but upon a closer examination I found that 
they were made of the finest silk, and learned afterwards 
that they were imported from England. I don't know why 
the same material should not be employed for a similar 
purpose at home ; but I believe that those manufactured 
hitherto have been designed expressly for the South Ameri- 
can market, to which they are exported in considerable 
quantities. 

Thursday, September 21st. — At five o'clock, when I 
awoke, it was so misty that I could only see about half-way 
across the yard. By six, the hour at which we were to 
have started on our hunting expedition, matters had im- 
proved a little ; but it was still considered unsafe to ven- 
ture out, for fear of being lost on the vast plains which 
surrounded us. An hour later, however, it was reported 
that the fog was clearing off, and a little before eight o'clock 



A GLORIOUS GALLOP. 95 

we started. Horses, riders, and dogs, all appeared to be in 
the highest spirits, the former jumping and frisking about, 
hardly deigning to touch the ground, the latter tearing 
after one another and barking at every stray bird they met. 
The pack numbered seventeen, and could hardly be called 
a level lot of hounds, comprising, as it did, two deerhounds, 
five well-bred greyhounds, two retrievers, one setter, one 
spaniel, one French poodle, two fox terriers, one black and 
tan terrier, and two animals of an utterly indescribable 
breed ; but they all did their work well, as the event proved. 
Even the shaggy fat old French poodle arrived in each case 
before the deer was cut up. 

Two deer were soon descried in the distance, and we can- 
tered steadily towards them at the rate of about ten miles 
an hour, until the dogs winded and sighted them. Then, 
directly the first short yelp was heard, every horse extended 
himself in an instant, galloping away as hard as he could 
go, almost literally ventre a terre. They were nearly all 
thoroughbreds, and had been raced, so that the speed was 
something delightful. But it only lasted ten minutes, at 
the end of which time the dogs ran into one of the deer, 
and thus put a temporary stop to our enjoyment. He 
proved to be a fine buck, and was soon killed. His legs 
were cut off for trophies, but, his horns being like velvet, 
the head was not worth having. Some of the dogs pur- 
sued the doe, but failed to pull her down, and returned 
half an hour later fatigued and panting. 

It had become hot by this time, so we rode to the nearest 
water, to enable the animals to drink and bathe, and then 
started afresh at a sharp canter. There were plenty of 
bizcacha holes and boggy places to be avoided ; but we 
allowed the horses to take care of themselves and us in 
this respect, and occupied ourselves almost exclusively in 
looking for fresh deer. For some time we found nothing ; 
then two sprang out of the long grass close to the Canada, 
which they crossed, and, on reaching the other side, started 



96 A GLORIOUS GALLOP 

off in different directions. The pack pursued and divided, 
some going after each animal. I, and two others of the 
party, followed the doe, and after another short burst of ten 
minutes, at a tremendous pace, we ran into and killed her. 
As soon as she had been despatched, we wanted to follow 
the buck, in pursuit of which the rest of the riders had 
gone, but there was now nothing to be seen of him or them. 
Flat as the country looked, the slight undulations of the 
ground quite hid them from our view. After riding about 
for two hours in various directions, looking and listening 
most patiently, we abandoned the search in despair, and 
returned to the house, where we found that our friends had 
already arrived. They had enjoyed the best run they have 
had for many months — seven miles, from point to point — 
but the dogs had lain down, dead beat, at the end of the 
first six miles. The horsemen had galloped on, their 
animals tailing off one by one, until only two remained 
in it at all. Having mutually agreed to let the stag live 
till another day to afford perhaps as good a run and as 
much pleasure to some one else, they thereupon also 
abandoned the chase, and turned their horses' heads home- 
wards. 

After a change of dress, we proceeded to pack up, pre- 
paratory to our departure, and then had breakfast, after 
which we bade adieu to our kind hosts, and started in the 
waggonette to retrace our steps to the station. It was very 
bright and hot, and the sun and wind had already begun 
to have a visible effect upon the vegetation of the Pampas. 
The streams were much more passable, and we reached 
Canada de Gomez at about half-past five, in a shorter 
time than it had taken us to perform the outward journey 
yesterday. On reaching Rosario at about ten o'clock, we 
found several friends waiting to receive us, with invitations to 
tea ; but we felt too tired in body and too disreputable in 
appearance to accept them, and preferred going straight to 
our hotel and to bed. 



CHAPTER VII. 

MORE ABOUT THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 

The twilight is sad and cloudy. 
The wind blows wild and free, 
And like the wings of sea-birds 
Flash the white caps of the sea. 

Friday \ September 22nd. — Mr. Fisher called for me at 
8 a.m., to drive me in his little carriage to the railway yard 
and workshops, and then to pay some farewell visits. We 
ajso went to see the market, and to get some photographs 
of Rosario ; after which, breakfast, packing-up, and paying 
the bill occupied our time until one o'clock, when we 
started for the steamer, to return to Buenos Ayres. On 
our arrival alongside the ' Proveedor,' I found that nearly 
all our Rosario friends had come down to the landing-place 
to see us off, and had brought all manner of remembrances 
for me and the children. Flowers in profusion ; a tame car- 
dinal bird for Muriel ; a pair of dear little long-tailed green 
paroquets ; the skin of a seal, shot at the Alexandria colony ; 
a beautiful poncho ; an Argentine bit, whip, and stirrups ; a 
carpincha skin ; two pretty little muletas — a sort of arma- 
dillo, very tame, and often kept in the houses here as a pet; 
and several other presents, all of which, when I look at 
them at home, will serve to remind me of the kind donors, 
and of the happy days spent in the Argentine Republic. 

It was not long before we were off, and steaming slowly 
astern of the ' Uruguay.' This boat is not so large nor so 
fast as the ' Uruguay,' though the difference in speed does 
not probably amount to more than fifteen minutes in the 



THE RIVAL BOATS. 



twenty-four hours. Her saloon and deck are not so good, 
but her sleeping-cabins are much larger and more comfort- 
able. The Italian captains are equally agreeable on both 
steamers, the civility is the same, and the fares and food 
are precisely similar, so that there is not much left to in- 
fluence one in the choice of vessels. We had a pleasant 
party at an excellent dinner in the evening, the captain 
only regretting that we had not been on board two days 
ago, when Mile. P. and the opera company went down from 
Rosario to Buenos Ayres. They had a very cheery even- 
ing, and some good music, which Tom told us afterwards 
he thoroughly enjoyed. There were no musicians on board 
to-night, and not any temptation to sit up late, which was 
perhaps as well ; one of the reasons for our going back this 
way being that we wished to have an opportunity of seeing 
the River Tigr6, which we should reach in the early morning. 
On the upward journey we had, to save time, embarked at 
Campafia, which is situated above that river. 

Saturday, September 2^rd. — At 4.30 a.m. the captain 
called me, being anxious that I should not miss any of the 
beauties of the Tigre. On my arrival on deck he kindly 
had a chair placed for me right in the bows, provided me 
with rugs and wraps, and sent for some hot coffee, which was 
particularly acceptable, as the morning air was fresh and 
chilly. The sky was flushed with rosy clouds, the fore- 
runners of one of the most beautiful sunrises imaginable. 
The river itself is narrow and monotonous, the branches of 
the willow-tree on either bank almost sweeping the sides 
of the steamer. The centre channel is fairly deep ; but 
we managed to run aground once, though we only drew 
nine feet, and in turning a sharp corner it was necessary to 
send a boat ashore with a rope, to pull the vessel's head 
round. 

At half-past six we reached the port of Tigr6, where 
we found many fine ships waiting for the tide, to go up the 
river. Some delay occurred while the passengers' luggage 



MODERATE PRICES. 99 

was being examined ; but in about half an hour we were 
able to land and walk to the railway-station, through 
an avenue of shady trees, round the trunks of which the 
wistaria, now in full bloom, was climbing, and past several 
houses, whose pretty gardens were ablaze with all sorts of 
flowers. At the station I found a letter from Tom, telling 
me we were expected to breakfast at a quinta, not far 
from Buenos Ayres. 

For about an hour and a half the line ran through a 
rich and fertile country, quite the garden of Buenos Ayres, 
until we arrived at the station where we were to alight. 
Here Mr. Coghlan met us and drove us to his house, which 
is charmingly situated in the midst of a grove of olive- 
trees, formerly surrounding the palace of the viceroys. 
After breakfast the gardener cut us a fine bouquet of roses 
and violets, and we walked to the tramway, and were con- 
veyed by one of the cars, smoothly and quickly, to the 
city. The contrast between this mode of travelling and 
riding in an ordinary carriage through the ill-paved streets 
is very striking. It is really less fatiguing to walk than to 
adopt the latter mode of conveyance, and I believe that, 
but for the look of the thing, most people would prefer to 
do so. How the vehicles themselves stand the jolting I 
cannot imagine, for they are all large and handsome, and 
must suffer tremendous strains. 

At noon we went with Mr. Coghlan to see the market 
and the museum, and to do some shopping. The market 
is a large open building, well supplied with everything at 
moderate prices ; meat, game, fruit, vegetables, and flowers 
being especially cheap and good. House-rent and fine 
clothes — what Muriel would call ' dandy things ' — are very 
dear in Buenos Ayres, but all the necessaries of life are 
certainly cheap. People of the middle and lower classes 
live much better here than they do at home, and the de- 
velopment of bone and muscle in large families of small 
children, owing to the constant use of so much meat and 



ELABORATE BOUQUETS. 



strong soup, is very remarkable. When once they have 
attained the age at which they can run about, children get 
on very well ; but the climate, and the difficulty of obtain- 
ing a proper supply of milk in hot weather, often prove 
fatal to infants. It is very difficult to get good servants 
here, as they can easily obtain much higher pay in other 
capacities, and are very soon enabled to set up in business 
for themselves. Returning to the hotel, we collected our 
parcels and had some luncheon, and then proceeded to the 
pier, where we found the children waiting for us to em- 
bark in the gig, and we soon arrived safely on board the 
' Sunbeam.' 

At about half-past six, Tom and Mabelle returned from 
their expedition to the largest and most comfortable estan- 
cia in the country, where they were received most hospi- 
tably, and enjoyed themselves very much. 

After dinner, some of our party left in the whale-boat, 
being anxious to be present at Madame Almazilia's benefit 
performance at the opera, for which I fear they arrived 
too late after all. Whilst we were waiting at the railway- 
station to-day, some of the bouquets, which were to be 
presented at the theatre to-night, arrived by train. The 
flowers were arranged in all manner of strange shapes 
and devices — full-sized tables and chairs, music-stands, 
and musical instruments, and many other quaint conceits, 
composed entirely of grey Neapolitan violets, marked out 
with camellias and other coloured flowers. 

Sunday, September 2^th. — Most of us went ashore in the 
whale-boat at ten o'clock, to attend the English church, re- 
opened to-day for the first time for some months. After our 
own service we met many friends, and walked to the Roman 
Catholic cathedral. The streets were full of well-appointed 
carriages, and in the interior of the building we found a great 
many well-dressed ladies, and a few men. Mass had not 
commenced, and a constant stream of worshippers was still 
entering ; but we remained only for a short time, and then 



0,\ 



^ 



DANGERS OF LANDING. 



returned to the Mole. By this time the wind had freshened 
considerably, and several of our friends tried to persuade us 
to remain on shore ; but as we knew Tom was expecting 
us, and we wanted to get the things we required for our 
next journey, we thought it better to go off. 

It took us two hours and a half, beating against the 
wind, to reach the yacht, sea-sick, and drenched to the 
skin. Directly we got outside the bar the sea was very 
bad, and each wave broke more or less over the little half- 
deck, under which the children had been packed away for 
shelter. Seeing how rough it was out at the anchorage — 
far worse than near the shore — Tom had quite given us up, 
for it was now half-past three, and was preparing to come 
ashore, bringing our things with him. On board the yacht 
we found an unfortunate French maid, and another servant, 
who had come off early in the morning to spend the day 
and have dinner with our people, but who were now lying 
prostrate and ill in the cabin. 

Champagne and luncheon revived us a little, and Tom 
hurried us off to get ashore again by daylight, before the 
weather became worse. It was a very pleasant twenty 
minutes' sail to the shore, racing along before the wind, 
with two reefs in the mainsail — quite a different thing from 
beating out. The tide was high, and the captain therefore 
steered for the pier, where he hoped to land us. Unfortu- 
nately, however, he missed it ; and as it was impossible to 
make another tack out, all that could be done was to let 
go the anchor to save running ashore, and wait until they 
sent out a small boat to fetch us. This took some little 
time during which we pitched and tossed about in a very 
disagreeable fashion. When the boat did at last arrive 
she turned out to be a wretched little skiff, rowed by two 
men, with very indifferent oars, and only capable of taking 
three passengers at a time. Tom went first, taking with 
him the two children, and the two poor sea-sick maids, 
and the boat at once put off for the land, Tom steering. 



A NARROW ESCAPE. 



It was terrible to watch them from the whale-boat, and 
when one tremendous sea came, and the skiff broached to, 
*I thought for a moment that all was over, as did every one 
who was watching our proceedings from the pier. I could 
not look any more, till I heard shouts that they were safe 
ashore. Then came our turn. The boat returned for us, 
this time provided with better oars, and we were soon 
landed in safety, if not in comfort; and a third and last 
trip brought ashore the rest of the party and the luggage, 
Tom remaining at the tiller. 

Mr. Coghlan had come down to meet us, but, seeing 
the peril of the first boat, had gone away until he heard we 
were all landed, and now returned to congratulate us on our 
narrow escape and present safety. After we had rested for 
a short time in the waiting-room, to recover from our fright 
and shake our dripping garments, we went to the Hotel de 
la Paix, where we dined, and at ten o'clock we walked 
down to the railway-station, where a large number of people 
had already assembled, some of whom were to accompany 
us to Azul, while others had only come to see us off. 

Everything had been most comfortably arranged for us 
in the special train. The interior fittings of two second- 
class American carriages had been completely taken out, 
and a canvas lining, divided into compartments, each con- 
taining a cozy little bed, had been substituted. Wash- 
stands, looking-glasses, &c, had been provided, and a 
profusion of beautiful flowers filled in every available spot. 
In a third car two tables, occupying its entire length, with 
seats on one side of each table, had been placed ; and 
here it was intended that we should breakfast, lunch, and 
dine. 

Monday, September 2$th. — We slept soundly— speaking 
for the children and myself — until we were aroused at six 
o'clock this morning by the agreeable intelligence that we 
had reached our destination. Azul is about 300 miles 
south of Buenos Ayres, on the Southern Railway. It is a 



A RUNAWAY. 103 



small and primitive place in itself, but is situated in the 
midst of splendid pastures, both for rearing sheep and 
cattle, of which there are large flocks and herds. 

Whilst we were waiting for breakfast, we walked a little 
distance to see a troop of mares treading mud for bricks. 
It was a curious, but rather sad sight. Inside a circular en- 
closure, some fifty yards in diameter, about fifty half-starved 
animals, up to their houghs in very sloppy mud, were being 
driven round about, and up and down, as fast as they could 
go, by a mounted peon, assisted by five or six men on foot, 
outside the enclosure, armed with long heavy whips, which 
they used constantly. Some of the poor creatures had foals, 
which were tied up a little distance off, and which kept up 
a piteous whinnying, as an accompaniment to the lashings 
and crackings of the whips. On our way back to the 
station we saw a horse, attached to a light gig, bolt across 
the Pampas at full gallop, vainly pursued by a man on 
horseback. First one wheel came off and then the other ; 
then the body of the gig was left behind, and then the 
shafts and most of the harness followed suit ; until at last 
— as we afterwards heard — the runaway reached his home, 
about five miles off, with only his bridle remaining. 

At nine o'clock the breakfast-bell rang, and we found 
an excellent repast spread out for us on two long tables. 
An hour later we started in seven large carriages, and pro- 
ceeded first to make the tour of the town, afterwards visiting 
the bank, and a fine new house in the course of construction 
by a native, built entirely of white marble from Italy. 
Then we paid a visit to some Indians — an old chief and his 
four wives, who have settled quietly down in a toldo near 
the town. They were not bad-looking, and appeared fairly 
comfortable, as they squatted in the open air round the fire, 
above which was suspended a large iron pot, containing, to 
judge by the look and smell, a most savoury preparation. 
We next went to a store, where we picked up a few 
curiosities, and then drove to the mill of Azul, a new 



to4 



A GRASSERIA. 



establishment, of which the inhabitants of the town are 
evidently very proud. There is a pretty walk by the mill- 
stream, overhung with willows, and close by is another 
toldo, inhabited by more Indians. 

Leaving the town, we now proceeded about two leagues 
across the Pampas to Mr. Frer's estancia. He is a farmer, 
on a very extensive scale, and possesses about 24,000 sheep 
and 500 horses, besides goodly herds of cattle. The locusts 
have not visited this part of the country, and the pastures 




Indians at Azui 



are consequently in fine condition after the late rains, while 
the sheep look proportionately well. We passed a large 
g-rasserta, or place where sheep are killed at the rate of 
seven in a minute, and are skinned, cut up, and boiled . 
down for tallow in an incredibly short space of time, the 
residue of the meat being used in the furnace as fuel. 
Running about loose, outside, were four or five curly- 
horned rams, between two of which a grand combat took 
place, apparently conducted in strict accordance with the 
rules of fighting etiquette. The two animals began by 
walking round and round, eyeing each other carefully, and 



AN EST A NCI A. 105 



then retiring backwards a certain distance, which might 
have been measured out for them, they stopped so exactly 
simultaneously. Then, gazing steadfastly at one another 
for a few moments, as if to take aim, they rushed forward 
with tremendous force, dashing their foreheads together 
with a crash that might have been heard a mile away. It 
seemed marvellous that they did not fracture their skulls, 
for they repeated the operation three or four times before 
Mr. Frer could get a man to help to stop the fight, when 
the two combatants were led off, in a very sulky state, to 
be locked up apart. 

Arrangements had been made for us to see as much of 
station-life as possible during our short visit. The peons' 
dinner had been put back, in order that we might witness 
their peculiar method of roasting, or rather baking, their 
food, and eating it ; but we were rather later than was 
expected, and the men were so hungry that we were only 
able to see the end of the performance. Mr. Frer had also 
sent a long way across the Pampas for some wild horses, 
belonging to him, in order that we might see them lassoed ; 
and Colonel Donovan had brought with him one of his 
best domidors, or horse-breakers, that we might have an 
opportunity of seeing an unbroken colt caught and backed 
for the first time. 

About a hundred horses were driven into a large corral, 
and several gauchos and peons, some on horseback and 
some on foot, exhibited their skill with the lasso, by catch- 
ing certain of the animals, either by the fore leg, the hind 
leg, or the neck, as they galloped round and round at full 
speed. The captured animal got a tremendous fall in each 
case, and if the mounted horse was not very clever and 
active, he and his rider were very likely to be thrown down 
also. There was the risk too of the man receiving an in- 
jury from the lasso itself, if it should happen to get round 
his body, in which case he would probably be almost cut 
in half by the sudden jerk. 



io6 A CORRAL. 



The next proceeding was to cast a lasso at a potro, or 
unbroken colt, who was galloping about in the very centre 
of the troop, at full speed. His fore legs were caught dex- 
terously in the noose, which brought him up, or rather 
down, instantly, head over heels. Another lasso was then 
thrown over his head, and drawn quite tight round his neck, 
and a bridle, composed of two or three thongs of raw hide, 
was forced into his mouth by means of a slip-knot rein. 
A sheepskin saddle was placed on his back, the man who 




.Lassoing H 



was to ride him standing over him, with one foot already 
in the stirrup. All this time the poor horse was lying on 
the ground with his legs tied close together, frightened 
almost out of his life, trembling in every limb, and per- 
spiring from every pore. When the man was ready, the 
horse's legs were loosened sufficiently to allow him to rise, 
and he was then led outside the corral. The lassoes were 
suddenly withdrawn, and he dashed forwards, springing and 
plunging upwards, sideways, downwards, in every direction, 
in the vain effort to rid himself of his unaccustomed load. 
The man remained planted, like a rock, in the saddle, 



LUXURIOUS TRAVELLING. 107 



pulling hard at the bridle, while a second domidor, 
mounted on a tame horse, pursued the terrified animal, 
striking him with a cruel whip to make him go in the 
required direction. After about ten minutes of this severe 
exercise, the captive returned to the corral, exhausted, 
and perfectly cowed, and showing no desire to rejoin his 
late companions. In order to complete the process of 
breaking him in, we were told that it would be necessary 
to keep him tied up for two or three days, rather short 
of food, and to repeat daily the operation of saddling, 
bridling, and mounting, the difficulty being less on each 
occasion, until at last he would become as quiet as a lamb. 

We now saw our tram approaching, orders having been 
given for it to come as far as it could from the station to 
meet us. We wished good-bye to Mr. Frer and his party, 
and, with many thanks to all, got into our carriages and 
drove across the plains to the railway. On our way we 
passed some large lagunes, full of wild fowl, and surrounded 
by scarlet flamingoes and pelicans. The ground we had 
to traverse was very boggy ; so much so, that two of the 
carriages got stuck, and their occupants had to turn out and 
walk. At last we reached the train, and climbed into the 
cars, where we found an excellent luncheon prepared, which 
we ate whilst the train dashed along at the rate of forty 
miles an hour. About seven o'clock we stopped for tea and 
coffee, and the children were put to bed. By nine we had 
reached the junction for Buenos Ayres, where an engine 
met us, and took most of our part)' into the city, in one of 
the cars, while we went on to Punta Lara, the station for 
Ensenada. 

On arriving we were met by several of our men, who 
had been allowed to go ashore at Buenos Ayres on Sunday 
morning, and had not been able to rejoin the yacht since. 
On Sunday night, when they were to have returned, it was 
impossible for them to get off. Even the whale-boat was 
nearly dashed to pieces, at anchor, near the pier. They 



io8 A MISSING STEWARD. 

spent the early part of Monday morning in hunting every- 
where with the pilot for the lost steward, and at last left the 
shore just in time to see the yacht steaming down the river, 
with only half her crew on board, and without a pilot. It 
seems they had been waited for from eight o'clock until 
eleven ; it then became necessary to get under way, for 
fear of losing the tide. As it was, the yacht had not been 
able to get near the pier at Ensenada, and was now lying in 
the river, two miles out. The station-master, having been 
informed of the state of affairs, very kindly had steam got 
up in the railway tug to take us off. The children, with 
their nurses, remained in bed in the car, which was shunted 
into a siding until the morning, the doctor staying on shore 
in charge. The rest of us then set out for the yacht, 
which we reached at I a.m., only to be greeted with the 
pleasing intelligence that no fresh provisions had arrived 
on board for the party of friends we were expecting. The 
captain of the tug was good enough to promise to do what he 
could for us on shore ; but everything is brought here from 
Buenos Ayres, and it is too late to telegraph for a supply. 
We cannot help fearing that something must have happened 
to our steward, for he has always been most steady and 
respectable hitherto, and I fancy Buenos Ayres is rather 
a wild place. Every inquiry is to be made, and I can only 
trust the morning may bring us some news. 

Tuesday, September 26th. — The morning was fine, with 
a nice breeze, but the tide was so low that we should have 
been unable to get alongside the pier until ten o'clock, 
when Tom thought we should just miss our guests. It 
was therefore decided that it would be better to send the 
steam-tug to meet the special train, especially as, if we 
took the yacht in, it would be impossible to get out again 
in the middle of the night, when we had arranged to sail. 

The steam-tug came off early, bringing two sheep, half 
a bullock, and some wild ducks, much to the relief of the 
cook's mind ; but there were no vegetables to be had on 



SHORT OF PROVISIONS. 109 

shore, and of course it was too late to send to Buenos 
Ayres for any. We had to do the best we could without 
them, therefore, and I really do not think any one knew of 
the dilemma we had been in, until they were told, at the 
end of the day. The servants all turned to and worked 
with a will ; but it was rather a different matter from having 
a large luncheon party on board in the Thames, with our 
London servants and supplies to fall back upon. 

For our own part, I think we all felt that the com- 
parative scarcity of meat this morning was an agreeable 
change, after our recent experiences. Animal food is so 
cheap and so good in this country that at every meal four 
or five dishes of beef or mutton, dressed in various ways, 
are provided. In the camp — as all the country round 
Buenos Ayres is called — people eat nothing but meat, either 
fresh or dried, and hardly any flour with it. Especially 
in the more distant estancias, beef and mutton, poultry and 
eggs, form the staple food of the inhabitants. Very little 
bread is eaten, and no vegetables, and an attempt is rarely 
made to cultivate a garden of any sort. This year, too, 
the ravages of the locusts have made vegetable food 
scarcer than ever, and it must now be looked upon quite as 
a luxury by very many people ; for there can be little 
doubt that to live entirely on meat, even of the best 
quality, though probably strengthening, must be exceed- 
ingly monotonous. 

About one o'clock we saw the tug coming off again, 
this time with her decks crowded. We found she had 
brought us fifteen ladies and thirty gentlemen — more than 
we had expected, on account of the shortness of the notice 
we had been able to give. The luncheon was managed by 
dividing our guests into three parties, the coffee and dessert 
being served on deck ; but I am afraid the last division 
got very hungry before their time arrived. It could not, 
however, be helped, and it is to be hoped that the exami- 
nation of the various parts of the yacht and her contents 



A LARGE PARTY. 



served to while away the time. Every one seemed to be 
pleased with the appearance of the vessel, never having 
seen one like her before. Indeed, the only yacht that has 
ever been here previously is the ' Eothen,' which formerly 
belonged to us. 

Mr. St. John's servant brought me a most magnificent 
bouquet, composed entirely of violets, arranged in the 
shape of a basket, three feet in width, full of camellias, and 
marked with my initials in alyssum. Altogether it was 
quite a work of art, but almost overpoweringly sweet. 

It was late before our friends began the task of saying 
good-bye — no light matter where, as in the present case, it 
is doubtful whether, or at any rate when we shall meet 
again. At last they left us, steaming round the yacht in 
the tug, and giving us some hearty cheers as they passed. 
The Minister's flag was run up, salutes were exchanged, 
and the little steamer rapidly started off in the direction of 
the shore, followed by a dense cloud of her own smoke. 
Through a telescope we watched our friends disembark at 
the pier, and saw the train steam away ; and then we 
turned our thoughts to the arrangements for our own 
departure. 

Wednesday, September 27th. — A fine breeze was blow- 
ing this morning, in a favourable direction for our start, 
but as ten and eleven o'clock arrived, and there were still 
no signs of the expected stores, Tom was in despair, and 
wanted to sail without them. I therefore volunteered to 
go ashore in the gig and see what had happened to them, 
and telegraph, if necessary, to Mr. Crabtree. Fortunately, 
we met the tug on our way, and returned in tow of her to 
the yacht. Then, after settling a few bills, and obtaining 
our bill of health, we got the anchor up, and proceeded 
down the river under sail. Between one and two o'clock 
we commenced steaming, and in the course of the evening 
were clear of the River Plate and fairly on our way to the 
Straits of Magellan. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

RIVER PLATE TO SANDY POINT, STRAITS OF 
MAGELLAN. 

/ have seen tempests, when the scolding winds 
Have riv'd the knotty oaks ; and I have seen 
The ambitious ocean swell and rage and foam, 
To be exalted with the threat' ning clouds : 
But never till to-night, never till now 
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire. 

Thursday, September 22>th. — A fine bright morning, with 
a strong, fair wind The order to stop firing was given at 
m>on, and we ceased steaming shortly after. There had 
evidently been a gale from the southward during the last 
few days, for the swell was tremendous, and not only made 
us all feel very uncomfortable after our long stay in har- 
bour, but considerably diminished our speed. Still, we 
managed to go twenty-seven knots in two hours and a half 

I was lying down, below, after breakfast, feeling very 
stupid, when Mabelle rushed into the cabin, saying, ' Papa 
says you are to come up on deck at once, to see the ship 
on fire.' I rushed up quickly, hardly knowing whether she 
referred to our own or some other vessel, and on reach- 
ing the deck I found everybody looking at a large barque, 
under full sail, flying the red union-jack upside down, and 
with signals in her rigging, which our signal-man read as 
' Ship on fire.' These were lowered shortly afterwards, and 
the signals, ' Come on board at once,' hoisted in their place. 
Still we could see no appearance of smoke or flames, but 
we nevertheless hauled to the wind, tacked, hove to, and 
sent off a boat's crew, well armed, thinking it not impossible 
that a mutiny had taken place on board, and that the 



SHIP ON FIRE. 



captain or officers, mistaking the yacht for a gunboat, had 
appealed to us for assistance. We were now near enough 
to the barque to make out her name through a glass — the 
' Monkshaven,' of Whitby — and we observed a puff of smoke 
issue from her deck simultaneously with the arrival of our 
boat alongside. In the course of a few minutes, the boat 
returned, bringing the mate of the ' Monkshaven,' a fine- 
looking Norwegian, who spoke English perfectly, and who 
reported his ship to be sixty-eight days out from Swansea, 



' MonJcshaven oti Firs 

bound for Valparaiso, with a cargo of smelting coal. The 
fire had first been discovered on the previous Sunday, and 
by 6 a.m. on Monday the crew had got up their clothes 
and provisions on deck, thrown overboard all articles of a 
combustible character, such as tar, oil, paint, spare spars 
and sails, planks, and rope, and battened down the hatches. 
Ever since then they had all been living on deck, with no 
protection from the wind and sea but a canvas screen. Tom 
and Captain Brown proceeded on board at once. They 
found the deck more than a foot deep in water, and all 
a wash ; when the hatches were opened for a moment dense 



JUST IN TIME. nj 



clouds of hot suffocating yellow smoke immediately poured 
forth, driving back all who stood near. From the captain's 
cabin came volumes of poisonous gas, which had found its 
way in through the crevices, and one man, who tried to 
enter, was rendered insensible. 

It was perfectly evident that it would be impossible 
to save the ship, and the captain therefore determined, after 
consultation with Tom and Captain Brown, to abandon her. 
Some of the crew were accordingly at once brought on 
board the ' Sunbeam,' in our boat, which was then sent 
back to assist in removing the remainder, a portion of whom 
came in their own boat. The poor fe41ows were almost wild 
with joy at getting alongside another ship, after all the 
hardships they had gone through, and in their excitement 
they threw overboard many things which they might as 
well have kept, as they had taken the trouble to bring 
them. Our boat made three trips altogether, and by 
half-past six we had them all safe on board, with most 
of their effects, and the ship's chronometers, charts, and 
papers. 

The poor little dingy, belonging to the ' Monkshaven,' 
had been cast away as soon as the men had disembarked 
from her, and there was something melancholy in seeing 
her slowly drift away to leeward, followed by her oars and 
various small articles, as if to rejoin the noble ship she had 
so lately quitted. The latter was now hove-to, under full 
sail, an occasional puff of smoke alone betraying the presence 
of the demon of destruction within. The sky was dark and 
lowering, the sunset red and lurid in its grandeur, the clouds 
numerous and threatening, the sea high and dark, with 
occasional streaks of white foam. Not a breath of wind was 
stirring. Everything portended a gale. As we lay slowly 
rolling from side to side, both ship and boat were sometimes 
plainly visible, and then again both would disappear, for 
what seemed an age, in the deep trough of the South 
Atlantic rollers. 



ii 4 A LAST LOOK. 



For two hours we could see the smoke pouring- from 
various portions of the ill-fated barque. Our men, who had 
brought off the last of her crew, reported that, as they left 
her, flames were just beginning to burst from the fore- 
hatchway ; and it was therefore certain that the rescue had 
not taken place an hour too soon. Whilst we were at dinner, 
Powell called us up on deck to look at her again, when we 
found that she was blazing like a tar-barrel. The captain 
was anxious to stay by and see the last of her, but Tom 
was unwilling to incur the delay which this would have 
involved. We accordingly got up steam, and at nine p.m. 
steamed round the ' Monkshaven,' as close as it was deemed 
prudent to go. No flames were visible then ; only dense 
volumes of smoke and sparks, issuing from the hatches. The 
heat, however, was intense, and could be plainly felt, even 
in the cold night air, as we passed some distance to leeward. 
All hands were clustered in our rigging, on the deck-house 
or on the bridge, to see the last of the poor ' Monkshaven,' 
as she was slowly being burnt down to the water's edge. 

She was a large and nearly new (three years old) com- 
posite ship, built and found by her owners, Messrs. Smales, 
of Whitby, of 657 tons burden, and classed A 1 for ten 
years at Lloyd's. Her cargo, which consisted of coal for 
smelting purposes, was a very dangerous one ; so much so 
that Messrs. Nicholas, of Sunderland, from whose mines 
the coal is procured, have great difficulty in chartering ves- 
sels to carry it, and are therefore in the habit of building 
and using their own ships for the purpose. At Buenos 
Ayres we were told that, of every three ships carrying 
this cargo round to Valparaiso or Callao, one catches fire, 
though the danger is frequently discovered in time to pre- 
vent much damage to the vessel or loss of life. 

The crew of the ' Monkshaven ' — Danes, Norwegians, 
Swedes, Scotch, and Welsh — appear to be quiet, respect- 
able men. This is fortunate, as an incursion of fifteen 
rough lawless spirits on board our little vessel would have 



THE RESCUED CREW. 



1*5 



been rather a serious matter. In their hurry and fright, 
however, they left all their provisions behind them, and it 
is no joke to have to provide food for fifteen extra hungry 
mouths for a week or ten days, with no shops at hand from 
which to replenish our stores. The sufficiency of the water 
supply, too, is a matter for serious consideration. We have 
all been put on half-allowance, and sea-water only is to be 
used for washing purposes. 





Shipwrecked Crew coming on Board. 



Some account of the disaster, as gathered from the lips 
of various members of the crew at different times, may 
perhaps be interesting. It seems that, early on Monday 
morning, the day following that on which the fire was dis- 
covered, another barque, the ' Robert Hinds,' of Liverpool, 
was spoken. The captain of that vessel offered to stand by 
them or do anything in his power to help them ; but at that 
time they had a fair wind for Monte Video, only 120 miles 
distant, and they therefore determined to run for that port 



Sl6 DISAPPOINTED HOPES. 

and do their best to save the ship, and possibly some of the 
cargo. In the course of the night, however, a terrible gale 
sprang up, the same, no doubt, as the one of which we had 
felt the effects on first leaving the River Plate. They were 
driven hither and thither, the sea constantly breaking over 
them and sweeping the decks, though fortunately without 
washing any of them overboard. After forty-eight hours 
of this rough usage the men were all exhausted, while the 
fire was gradually increasing in strength beneath their feet, 
and they knew not at what moment it might burst through 
the decks and envelope the whole ship in flames. They 
were beginning to abandon all hope of a rescue, when a 
sail was suddenly discovered ; and as soon as the necessary 
flags could be found, the same signal which attracted us was 
displayed. The vessel, now quite close to them, proved to be 
a large American steamer, but she merely hoisted her own 
ensign and code-pennant, and then coolly steamed away to 
the southward. ' I think that captain deserved tarring and 
feathering, anyway,' one of the men said to me. Another 
observed, ' I wonder what will become of that man ; for we 
had put all our lives in his hand by signalling as we did ; 
and every seaman knows that right well' Another said, 
' When we saw that ship go away, we all gave in and lay 
down in despair to die. But our captain, who is very good 
to his crew, and a religious man too, said, " There is One 
above who looks after us all." That was true enough, for, 
about ten minutes afterwards, as I was talking to the cook, 
and telling him it was all over with us, I saw a sail to lee- 
ward, and informed the captain. We bore down a little, 
but did not like to go out of our course too much, fearing 
you might be a " Portuguese," and play us the same trick 
as the American.' (They could not understand our white 
ensign ; for, our funnel being stowed, we looked like a sail- 
ing vessel, while all gunboats of our size are steamers.) 
'When we saw it was an English vessel, and that you 
answered our signals and sent a boat off, we were indeed 



HARDSHIPS ON BOARD. 



thankful ; though that was nothing to what we feel now at 
once more having a really dry ship under our feet. Not 
that we have really suffered anything very terrible, for 
we had a bit of shelter, and plenty to eat, and the worst 
part was seeing our things washed overboard, and thinking 
perhaps we might go next. We have not had a dry deck 
since we left Swansea, and the pumps have been kept 
going most of the time. Why, with this sea, ma'am, our 
decks would be under water.' (This surprised me ; as, 
though low in the water, the ' Monkshaven ' did not appear 
to be overladen, and the Plimsoll mark v/as plainly visible.) 
1 Our boats were all ready for launching, but we had no sails, 
and only one rudder for the three ; so we should have had 
hard work to fetch anywhere if we had taken to them. 
We lashed the two boys— apprentices, fourteen and six- 
teen years old — in one of the boats, for fear they should be 
washed overboard. The youngest of them is the only son 
of his mother, a widow ; and you could see how she loved 
him by the way she had made his clothes, and fitted him 
out all through. He was altogether too well found for a 
ship like ours, but now most of his things are lost. His 
chest could not be got up from below, and though I 
borrowed an old bread-bag from the steward, it was not 
half big enough, and his sea-boots and things his mother 
had given him to keep him dry and cover his bed — not 
oilskins, like ours.' — 'Mackintoshes,' I suggested. — 'Yes, 
that's the name — they were all lost. It did seem a pity. 
The boy never thought there was much danger till this 
morning, when I told him all hope was gone, as the Ameri- 
can ship had sailed away from us. He said, " Will the 
ship go to the bottom ? " and I replied, " I fear so ; but 
we have good boats, so keep up your heart, little man." 
He made no further remark, but laid down gently again, 
and cried a little.' 

This poor child was dreadfully frightened in the small 
boat comine alongside, and his look of joy and relief, when 



n8 THE ONLY VICTIM. 

once he got safely on board, was a treat to me. Every one 
on board, including the captain, seems to have been very 
kind to him. One of the men had his foot broken by the 
sea, and the captain himself had his leg severely injured ; 
so the Doctor has some cases at last. 

It was almost impossible to sleep during the night, 
owing to the heavy rolling, by far the most violent that we 
have yet experienced. 

Friday, September 2Qtk. — Again a fine morning. A 
fair breeze sprang up, and, the dreaded storm having appa- 
rently passed over, we ceased steaming at 6 a.m. 

All on board are now settling down into something like 
order. The stewards are arranging matters below, and 
measuring out the stores, to allowance the men for twelve 
days. The men belonging respectively to the port and star- 
board watches of the ' Monkshaven ' have been placed in the 
corresponding watches on board the ' Sunbeam.' The cook 
and steward are assisting ours below, and the two boys are 
very happy, helping in the kitchen, and making themselves 
generally useful. The deck does not look quite as neat 
as usual. Such of the men's sea-chests as have been saved 
are lashed round the steam-chest, so that they can be got 
at easily, while their bags and other odd things have been 
stowed on deck, wherever they can be kept dry ; for every 
inch of available space below is occupied. Captain Run- 
ciman is writing, with tears in his eyes, the account of 
the loss of his fine ship. He tells me that he tried in 
vain to save sixty pounds' worth of his own private charts 
from his cabin, but it was impossible, on account of the 
stifling atmosphere, which nearly overpowered him. For- 
tunately, all his things are insured. He drowned his 
favourite dog, a splendid Newfoundland, just before leav- 
ing the ship ; for, although a capital watch-dog, and very 
faithful, he was rather large and fierce ; and when it was 
known that the ' Sunbeam ' was a yacht, with ladies and 
children on board, he feared to introduce him. Poor 



A DANGEROUS CARGO. 119 

fellow ! I wish I had known about it in time to save his 
life! 

The great danger of smelting coal, as a ship's cargo, 
besides its special liability to spontaneous combustion, 
appears to be that the fire may smoulder in the very centre 
of the mass for so long that, when the smoke is at last dis- 
covered, it is impossible to know how far the mischief has 
advanced. It may go on smouldering quietly for days, or at 
any moment the gas that has been generated may burst up 
the vessel's decks from end to end, without the slightest 
warning. Or it may burn downwards, and penetrate some 
portion of the side of the ship below water ; so that, before 
any suspicion has been aroused, the water rushes in, and 
the unfortunate ship and her crew go to the bottom. On 
board the ' Monkshaven ' the men dug down into the cargo 
in many places on Sunday night, only to find that the heat 
became more intense the deeper they went ; and several of 
them had their hands or fingers burnt in the operation. 

This has been about the best day for sailing that we 
have had since we left the tropics. The sea has been 
smooth, and a fair breeze has taken us steadily along at 
the rate of nine knots an hour. The sun shone brightly 
beneath a blue sky, and the temperature is delightful. The 
sunset was grand, though the sky looked threatening ; but 
the moon rose brilliantly, and until we went to bed, at ten 
o'clock, the evening was as perfect as the day had been. 
At midnight, however, Tom and I were awakened by a 
knock at our cabin door, and the gruff voice of Powell, 
saying : ' The barometer's going down very fast, please, sir, 
and it's lightning awful in the sou'-west. There's a heavy 
storm coming up.' We were soon on deck, where we found 
all hands busily engaged in preparing for the tempest. 
Around us a splendid sight presented itself. On one side 
a heavy bank of black clouds could be seen rapidly ap- 
proaching, while the rest of the heavens were brilliantly 
illuminated by forked and sheet lightning, the thunder 



TOUGH MORSELS. 



meanwhile rolling and rattling without intermission. An 
ominous calm followed, during which the men had barely 
time to lower all the sails on deck, without waiting to stow 
them, the foresail and jib only being left standing, when the 
squall struck us, not very severely, but with a blast as hot as 
that from a furnace. We thought worse was coming, and con- 
tinued our preparations ; but the storm passed rapidly away 
to windward, and was succeeded by torrents of rain, so that 
it was evident we could only have had quite the tail of it. 

Saturday, September 30th. — The morning broke bright 
and clear, and was followed by a calm, bright, sunny day, 
of which I availed myself to take some photographs of the 
captain and crew of the ' Monkshaven.' The wind failed us 
entirely in the afternoon, and it became necessary to get 
up steam. In the ordinary course of things, we should 
probably have had sufficient patience to wait for the 
return of the breeze; but the recent large addition to 
our party made it desirable for us to lose as little time" as 
possible in reaching Sandy Point. Another grand but wild- 
looking sunset seemed like the precursor of a storm ; but 
we experienced nothing worse than a sharp squall of hot 
wind, accompanied by thunder and lightning. 

Sunday, October \st. — A fine morning, with a fair wind. 
At eleven we had a short service, at four a longer one, with 
an excellent sermon from Tom, specially adapted to the 
rescue of the crew of the burning ship. As usual, the sun- 
set, which was magnificent, was succeeded by a slight storm, 
which passed over without doing us any harm. 

I have said that it was found impossible to save any 
provisions from the ' Monkshaven.' As far as the men are 
concerned, I think this is hardly to be regretted, for I am 
told that the salt beef with which they were supplied had 
lain in pickle for so many years that the saltpetre had eaten 
all the nourishment out of it, and had made it so hard that 
the men, instead of eating it, used to amuse themselves by 
carving it into snuff-boxes, little models of ships, &c. I 



CAPE VIRGINS. 



should not, however, omit to mention that Captain Runci- 
tnan managed to bring away with him four excellent York 
hams, which he presented to us, and one of which we had 
to-day at dinner. 

Wednesday, October 4th. — At 6 a.m., on going on deck 
I found we were hove-to under steam and closely-reefed 
sails, a heavy gale blowing from the south-west, right 
ahead. The screw was racing round in the air every time 
we encountered an unusually big wave ; the spray was 
dashing over the vessel, and the water was rushing along 
the deck — altogether an uncomfortable morning. As the 
sun rose, the gale abated, and in the course of the day the 
reefs were shaken out of the sails, one by one, until, by 
sunset, we were once more under whole canvas, beating to 
windward. There were several cries of 'land ahead ' during 
the day, but in each case a closer examination, through a 
glass, proved that the fancied coast-line or mountain-top 
existed only in cloud-land. 

Thursday, October $t/i. — We made the land early, and 
most uninteresting it looked, consisting, as it did, of a low 
sandy shore, with a background of light clay-coloured 
cliffs. Not a vestige of vegetation was anywhere to be 
seen, and I am quite at a loss to imagine what the guanacos 
and ostriches, with which the chart tells us the country here- 
abouts abounds, find to live upon. About twelve o'clock we 
made Cape Virgins, looking very like Berry Head to the 
north of Torbay, and a long spit of low sandy land, stretch- 
ing out to the southward, appropriately called Dungeness. 

Some of the charts brought on board by Captain Runci- 
man were published by Messrs. Imray, of London, and in 
one of them it is represented that a fine fixed light has 
been established on Cape Virgins. 1 This we knew to be an 

1 I have since received a letter from Messrs. Imray requesting me 
to state that the light was inserted on erroneous information from the 
hydrographic office at Washington, and has since been erased from 
their charts. 



TRANSFER OF THE CREW. 



impossibility, not only on account of the general character 
of the country, but because no indication is given of the 
light in our newest Admiralty charts. Captain Runciman, 
however, had more confidence in the correctness of his own 
chart, and could hardly believe his eyes when he saw that 
the light really had no existence on the bare bleak head- 
land. His faith was terribly shaken, and I hope he will not 
omit to call Messrs. Imray's attention to the matter on his 
return home ; for the mistake is most serious, and one 
which might lead to the destruction of many a good ship. 

About two o'clock we saw in the far distance what 
looked at first like an island, and then like smoke, but 
gradually shaped itself into the masts, funnel, and hull of 
a large steamer. From her rig we at once guessed her 
to be the Pacific Company's mail boat, homeward bound. 
When near enough, we accordingly hoisted our number, and 
signalled ' We wish to communicate,' whereupon she bore 
down upon us and ceased steaming. We then rounded up 
under her lee and lowered a boat, and Tom, Mabelle, and 
I, with Captain Runciman and four or five of the ship- 
wrecked crew, went on board. Our advent caused great 
excitement, and seamen and passengers all crowded into 
the bows to watch us. As we approached the ladder the 
passengers ran aft, and directly we reached the deck the 
captain took possession of Tom, the first and second 
officers of Mabelle and myself, while Captain Runciman 
;md each of his crew were surrounded by a little audience 
eager to know what had happened, and all about it. At 
first it was thought that we all wanted a passage, but 
when we explained matters Captain Thomas, the com- 
mander of the ' Illimani,' very kindly undertook to receive 
all our refugees and convey them to England. We there- 
fore sent the gig back for the rest of the men and the chests 
of the whole party, and then availed ourselves of the oppor- 
tunity afforded by the delay to walk round the ship. It 
was most amusing to see the interest with which we were 



WELCOME SUPPLIES, 123 

regarded by all on board. Passengers who had never been 
seen out of their berths since leaving Valparaiso, and others 
who were indulging, at the time of our visit, in the luxury 
of a ' day sleep,' between the twelve o'clock luncheon and 
four o'clock dinner, suddenly made their appearance, in 
dressing-gowns and wraps, with dishevelled hair and wide- 
opened eyes, gazing in mute astonishment at us, quite 
unable to account for our mysterious arrival on board in 
this out-of-the-way spot A mail steamer does not stop for 
a light cause, and it was therefore evident to them that the 
present was no ordinary occurrence. The captain told us 
that the last time he passed through the Straits he picked 
up two boats' crews, who had escaped from a burning ship, 
and who had suffered indescribable hardships before they 
were rescued. 

Captain Runciman is convinced, after comparing notes 
with the chief officer of the ' Illimani,' that the vessel which 
refused to notice his signal of distress was the 'Wilmington/ 
sent down from New York, with a party of forty wreckers, 
to try and get the steamer ' Georgia ' off the rocks near 
Port Famine, in the Straits of Magellan. If this be so, it is 
the more surprising that no attempt was made to render 
assistance to the ' Monkshaven,' provided her signals were 
understood, as the 'Wilmington' had plenty of spare hands, 
and could not have been in a particular hurry. Moreover, 
one would think that, with her powerful engines, she might 
have made an attempt to tow the distressed vessel into 
Monte Video, and so secure three or four thousand pounds 
of salvage money. 

The captain of the ' Illimani ' kindly gave us half a 
bullock, killed this morning, a dozen live ducks and chickens, 
and the latest newspapers. Thus supplied with food for 
body and mind, we said farewell, and returned to the 
'Sunbeam;' our ensigns were duly dipped, we steamed 
away on our respective courses, and in less than an hour 
we were out of sieht of each other. It is a sudden change 



124 REGRET AT PARTING. 

for the ' Monkshaven ' men, who were all very reluctant 
to leave the yacht. Many of them broke down at the 
last moment, particularly when it came to saying good- 
bye to Tom and me, at the gangway of the steamer. They 
had seemed thoroughly to appreciate any kindnesses they 
received while with us, and were anxious to show their 
gratitude in every possible way. The two boys, especially, 
were in great grief at their departure, and were very loth 
to part with their boatswain, who remains with us to make 
up our complement. 1 

About 8 p.m. we anchored for the night in Possession 
Bay. It was thick at sunset, but afterwards clear and cold, 
with a splendid moon. 

Friday, October 6th. — We got under way at 5.30 a.m., 
and steamed past the low sandy coast of Patagonia and 
the rugged mountains of Tierra del Fuego, and through 
the First and Second Narrows, to Cape Negro, where the 

1 After our return to England the following letter reached us from 
Messrs. Smales : — 

* Whitby, June 30th, 1877. 
' Thomas Brassey, Esq. 

' Dear Sir, — Observing by the newspapers that you have returned home 
after your cruise, we take this opportunity of thanking you most heartily for the 
valuable assistance you rendered to the crew of our late barque " Monkshaven," in 
lat. 43 28 S., Ion. 62 21 W., after she proved to be on fire and beyond saving. 
Your kind favour of October 1 last duly reached us, and it was very satisfactory to 
know from an authority like your own, that all was done under the trying circum- 
stances that was possible, to save the ship and cargo. The inconvenience of having 
so many extra hands for the time on board your vessel, must have tried your 
resources ; but you will be probably aware that the Board of Trade willingly com- 
pensate for loss sustained in rescuing a crew, when a claim is made. You will be 
glad to learn that the master and crew arrived all well, in due course, at Liverpool, 
by the " Illimani," and were very grateful for your kindness to them. Our ill-fated 
vessel mu»t have sunk very soon after you took off the crew, as nothing more has 
been heard of her, and it was a most fortunate circumstance that you were so near 
at hand , more especially as the captain reported to us, that a vessel carrying the 
American colours took no notice of his signal of distress. As shipowners, we gene- 
rally find that our own countrymen are more heroic, and always ready to lend & 
helping hand to brother mariners in distress, so that, as you say, we do not doubt 
you experienced some satisfaction in rendering this service. — Trusting that you have- 
enjoyed your trip, we beg to remain yours, truly obliged, 

' SMALES Brother*.' 



SANDY POINT. 



character of the scenery began to improve a little, the 
vegetation gradually changing from low scrubby brush- 
wood to respectable-sized trees. When passing between 
Elizabeth Island, so named by Sir Francis Drake, and the 
island of Santa Madalena, we looked in vain for the my- 
riads of seals, otters, and sea-lions with which this portion 
of the Straits is said to abound ; but we saw only seven 
or eight little black spots on the shore, in the distance, 
which disappeared into the sea as we approached. 

At 3 p.m. we reached Sandy Point, the only civilised 
place in the Straits. It is a Chilian settlement, and a large 
convict establishment has been formed here by the Govern- 
ment. Almost before we had dropped our anchor, the har- 
bour-master came on board, closely followed by the officers 
of the two Chilian men-of-war lying in the harbour. The 
rain, which had been threatening all day, now descended 
in torrents, and we landed in a perfect downpour. We 
thought the pier at Buenos Ayres unsafe and rickety, but 
here matters were still worse, for the head of the structure 
had been completely washed away by a gale, and no little 
care was necessary in order to step across the broken tim- 
bers in safety. The town, which contains between 1,200 
and 1,300 inhabitants, is composed entirely of one-storied 
log huts, with slate or tile roofs, and with or without 
verandahs. They are all arranged in squares, separated 
from each other by wide roads ; and the whole settlement 
is surrounded by stockades. At the further end of the 
town stands the convict prison, distinguished by its tower, 
and the Governor's house, which, though built of wood, is 
the most pretentious-looking edifice in the place. There 
is a nice little church close by, and some tidy-looking 
barracks. 

We went straight to the house of the British Vice- 
Consul, who received us very kindly, and promised to do 
what he could to assist us in obtaining supplies ; but the 
resources of the place are limited, and eggs, ship's beef 



126 PATAGONIAN INDIANS. 

and biscuits, and water, will, I expect, be the sum total of 
what we shall be able to procure. In fact, it is rathei 
doubtful whether we shall even be able to renew our stock 
of coal. In the meantime we started off to potter about 
the town, finding, however, very little to amuse us. There 
were some new-laid ostrich eggs to be bought, and some 
queer-looking worked Patagonian saddle-bags. 

I fear we shall not see any of the Patagonians them- 
selves, for they come to the colony only three or four times 
a year, to purchase supplies, and to sell skins and ostrich 
eggs. They are a mounted tribe of Indians, living on the 
northern plains, and are now on their way down here, to 
pay one of their periodical visits ; but, being encumbered 
with their families, they move very slowly, and are not 
expected to arrive for another ten days. They will no 
doubt bring a splendid supply of skins, just too late for 
us, which is rather disappointing, particularly as we are not 
likely to have another opportunity of meeting with them 
at any of the places we touch at. They live so far in the 
interior of the country that they very seldom visit the 
coast. 

We went to see three Fuegian females, who are living 
in a house belonging to the medical officer of the colony. 
They were picked up a short time since by a passing 
steamer from a canoe, in which they had evidently sought 
refuge from some kind of cruelty or oppression. The big- 
gest of them, a stout fine-looking woman, had a terrible 
gash in her leg, quite recently inflicted, and the youngest 
was not more than eight years old. They appeared cheer- 
ful and happy, but we were told that they are not likely to 
live long. After the free life and the exposure to which 
they have been accustomed, civilisation — in the shape of 
clothing and hot houses — almost always kills them. Their 
lungs become diseased, and they die miserably. Their skin 
is slightly copper-coloured, their complexions high-coloured, 
their hair thick and black ; and, though certainly not hand- 



GUANACO ROBES. 



127 



some, they are by no means so repulsive as I had expected 
from the descriptions of Cook, Dampier, Darwin, and other 
more recent travellers. 

Saturday, October Jth. — My birthday. Tom gave me a 
beautiful guanaco-skin robe, and the children presented me 
with two ostrich rugs. The guanaco is a kind of large 
deer, and it is said that the robes made from its skin are 
the warmest in the world. People here assure me that, 
with the hair turned inside, these robes have afforded them 
sufficient protection to enable them to sleep in comfort in 




Fuegian Weapons. 

the open air, exposed to snow, frost, and rain. They are 
made from the skin of the young fawns, killed before they 
are thirteen days old, or, better still, from the skins of 
those which have never had an independent existence. In 
colour, the animals are a yellowish brown on the back, and 
white underneath, and they are so small that when each 
skin is split up it produces only two triangular patches, 
about the size of one's hand. A number of these are then, 
with infinite trouble, sewed neatly together by the Indian 
women, who use the fine leg-sinews of the ostrich as 
thread. Those worn by the caciques, or chiefs, have 
generally a pattern in the centre, a brown edging, and spots 



128 PATAGONIAN SADDLES. 

of red and blue paint on the part which is worn outwards. 
Such robes are particularly difficult to obtain, on account 
of the labour and time necessary to produce them. Each 
cacique keeps several wives constantly employed in making 
them, of the best as well as of the ordinary description. 
The ostrich rugs, which are made here, are more ornamental, 
though not so warm and light as the guanaco robes. They 
are made of the entire skin of the ostrich, from which the 
long wing-feathers have been pulled out. Mabelle has 
been given a beautiful little rug composed of the skins of 
thirty little ostriches, all from one nest, killed when they 
were a fortnight old, each skin resembling a prettily marked 
ball of fluff. 

At eleven o'clock we went ashore. The Governor had 
kindly provided horses for all the party, and while they 
were being saddled I took some photographs. There are 
plenty of horses here, but the only saddles and bridles 
to be had are those used by the natives. The saddles are 
very cumbrous and clumsy to look at, though rather pic- 
turesque. They are formed of two bits of wood, covered 
with about a dozen sheepskins and ponchos ; not at all 
uncomfortable to ride in, and very suitable for a night's 
bivouac in the open. ' Plenty of nice soft rugs to lie upon 
and cover yourself with, instead of a hard English saddle 
for your bed and stirrups for blankets,' as a native once 
said, when asked which he preferred. About one o'clock 
we started, accompanied by the officers commanding the 
garrison and two attendant cavaliers, equipped in Chilian 
style, with enormous carved modern stirrups, heavy bits 
and spurs much bigger than those whose size struck us so 
much in the Argentine Republic. We had a pleasant ride, 
first across a sandy plain and through one or two small 
rivers, to a saw-mill, situated on the edge of an extensive 
forest, through which we proceeded for some miles. The 
road was a difficult one and our progress was but slow, being 
often impeded by a morass or by the trunk of a tree which had 



A RIDE IN PATAGONIA. 129 

fallen right across the path, and was now rapidly rotting into 
touchwood under the influence of the damp atmosphere and 
incessant rain. Lichens of every colour and shape abounded, 
and clothed the trunks gracefully, contrasting with the 
tender spring tints of the leaves, while the long hairy 
tillandsia, like an old man's beard, three or four feet long, 
hung down from the topmost branches. The ground was 
carpeted with moss, interspersed with a few early spring 
flowers, and the whole scene, though utterly unlike that 
presented by any English forest, had a strange weird 
beauty of its own. Not a sound could be heard ; not a 
bird, beast, or insect was to be seen. The larger trees 
were principally a peculiar sort of beech and red cedar, but 
all kinds of evergreens, known to us at home as shrubs, 




i uo&ian Bow and Arrows. 

such as laurestine, and various firs, here attain the propor- 
tions of forest-trees. There is also a tree called Winter's 
Bark (Drimys Winteri), the leaves and bark of which are 
hot and bitter, and form an excellent substitute for quinine. 
But the most striking objects were the evergreen berberis 
and mahonia, and the Darwinia, the larger sort of which 
was covered with brilliant orange, almost scarlet, flowers, 
which hung down in bunches, of the shape and size of 
small outdoor grapes. 

On our way back we took a sharp turn leading to the 
sea-shore, to which the forest extends in places, and rode 
along the beach towards the town. It was low water, or 
this would not have been possible, and as it was, we often 
had considerable difficulty in making our way between 
wood and water. The da> was bright and clear, with a 
bitterly cold wind and occasional heavy showers of rain ; a 



i3o FLOWERING EVERGREENS. 

fair average day for Sandy Point It is further west, they 
say, that the weather is so hopeless. Lieutenant Byron, in 
his terribly interesting account of the wreck of the ' Wager,' 
says that one fine day in three months is the most that can 
be expected. I wonder, not without misgivings, if we really 
shall encounter all the bad weather we not only read of 
but hear of from every one we meet. Though very anxious 
to see the celebrated Straits, I shall not be sorry when we 
are safely through, and I trust that the passage may not 
occupy the whole of the three weeks which Tom has been 
advised to allow for it. 

We saw a few sea-birds, specially some ' steamer 
ducks,' so called from their peculiar mode of progression 
through the water. They neither swim nor fly, but use 
their wings like the paddles of a steamer, with a great 
noise and splutter, and go along very fast. On reaching 
the plains we had an opportunity of testing the speed of 
our horses, which warmed us up a little after our slow pro- 
gress by the water's edge in the bitter wind. We rode all 
round the stockades, outside the town, before dismounting ; 
but I saw nothing of special interest. Before the party 
broke up, arrangements were made for us to go to mor- 
row to one of the Government corrals, to see the cattle 
lassoed and branded — an operation which is always per- 
formed twice a year. 

We reached the yacht again at half-past five. Dr. Fenton 
came on board to dinner, and from him we heard a great deal 
about the colony, the Patagonians or Horse Indians, and the 
Fuegians or Canoe Indians. The former inhabit, or rather 
roam over, a vast tract of country. They are almost con- 
stantly on horseback, and their only shelter consists of toldos, 
or tents, made of the skins of the old guanacos, stretched 
across a few poles. They are tall and strong, averaging six 
feet in height, and are bulky in proportion ; but their size 
is nothing like so great as old travellers have represented. 
Both men and women wear a long flowing mantle of skins. 



HORSE INDIANS. 131 



reaching from the waist to the ankle, with a large loose 
piece hanging down on one side, ready to be thrown over 
their heads whenever necessary, which is fastened by a 
large flat pin hammered out either from the rough silver or 
from a dollar. This, their sole garment, has the effect of 
adding greatly in appearance to their height. They never 
wash, but daub their bodies with paint and grease, especially 
the women. Their only weapons are knives and bolas, the 
latter of which they throw with unerring precision. During 
their visits to the Sandy Point settlement their arms are 
always taken from them, for they are extremely quarrel- 
some, particularly when drunk. Nobody has been able to 
ascertain that they possess any form of sacred belief, or that 




Pin for fastening Cloak, mad© from a Dollar, beaten out 

they perform any religious ceremonies. Their food consists 
principally of the flesh of mares, troops of which animals 
always accompany them on their excursions. They also 
eat ostrich-flesh, which is considered a great delicacy, as 
well as the fish the women catch, and the birds' eggs they 
find. Vegetable food is almost unknown to them, and bread 
is never used, though they do sometimes purchase a little 
flour, rice, and a few biscuits, on the occasion of their visits 
to the colony. 

The Fuegians, or Canoe Indians, as they are generally 
called, from their living so much on the water, and having 
no settled habitations on shore, are a much smaller race of 
savages, inhabiting Tierra del Fuego— literally Land of 
Fire — so called from the custom the inhabitants have of 
lighting fires on prominent points as signals of assembly. 



132 CANOE INDIANS. 

The English residents here invariably call it Fireland — a 
name I had never heard before, and which rather puzzled 
me at first. Whenever it is observed that a ship is in 
distress, or that shipwrecked mariners have been cast 
ashore, the signal-fires appear as if by magic, and the 
natives flock together like vultures round a carcase. On 
the other hand, if all goes well, vessels often pass through 
the Straits without seeing a single human being, the 
savages and their canoes lying concealed beneath the 
overhanging branches of trees on the shore. They are 
cannibals, and are placed by Darwin in the lowest scale of 
humanity. An old author describes them as ' magpies in 
chatter, baboons in countenance, and imps in treachery.' 
Those frequenting the eastern end of the Straits wear — if 




Fue&ian Boat and Oars. 

they wear anything at all— a deerskin mantle, descending 
to the waist : those at the western end wear cloaks made 
from the skin of the sea-otter. But most of them are 
quite naked. Their food is of the most meagre description, 
and consists mainly of shell-fish, sea-eggs, for which the 
women dive with much dexterity, and fish, which they 
train their dogs to assist them in catching. These dogs 
are sent into the water at the entrance to a narrow creek 
or small bay, and they then bark and flounder about and 
drive the fish before them into shallow water, where they 
are caught. 

Bishop Stirling, of the Falkland Islands, has been 
cruising about these parts in a small schooner, and visiting 
the natives, for the last twelve years, and the Governor 
here tells us that he has done much good in promoting 



THE 'WILMINGTON'S 1 EXPLANATION. 133 

their civilisation ; while the hardships he has endured, and 
the difficulties and dangers he has surmounted, have re- 
quired almost superhuman energy and fortitude on his 
part. The Fuegians, as far as is known, have no religion 
of their own. 

The \ Wilmington' came in this morning. Her captain 
declares that as the ' Monkshaven ' was not hove-to, he 
never thought that there could be anything seriously amiss 
with her. His glass was not good enough to enable him 
to make out the union-jack reversed, or the signal of 
distress, which he therefore supposed to be merely the 
ship's number. It was satisfactory to hear this explana- 
tion ; and as not only the interests of humanity, but his 
own, were involved, there is every reason to believe that 
his account of the transaction is perfectly true. 



CHAPTER IX. 

SANDY POINT TO LOTA BAY. 

And far abroad the canvas wings extend, 
Along the glassy plain the vessel glides, 
While ature radiance trembles on her sides , 
The lunar rays in long reflection gleam, 
With silver deluging the fluid stream. 

Sunday ; October %th. — At 6 a.m. we weighed anchor, and 
proceeded on our voyage. At first there was not much to 
admire in the way of scenery, the shores being low and 
sandy, with occasional patches of scrubby brushwood, and 
a background of granite rocks and mountains. 

Soon after passing Port Famine we saw the bold out- 
line of Cape Froward, the southernmost point of South 
America, stretching into the Straits. It is a fine headland, 
and Tom ordered the engines to be stopped in order to 
enable Mr. Bingham to sketch, and me to photograph, both 
it and the splendid view back through the channel we had 
just traversed to the snowy range of mountains in the 
distance, crowned by Mount Sarmiento, not unlike the 
Matterhorn in appearance. 

At this point the weather generally changes, and I 
suppose we must look forward to living in mackintoshes 
for some little time to come. 

In the afternoon, when in English Reach, where many 
vessels have been lost, great excitement was caused on 
board by the appearance of a canoe on our port bow. 
She was stealing out from the Barbara Channel, and as she 
appeared to be making direct for us, Tom ordered the 



STRANGE VISITORS. 135 

engines to be slowed. Her occupants thereupon redoubled 
their efforts, and came paddling towards us, shouting and 
making the most frantic gesticulations, one man waving a 
skin round his head with an amount of energy that threat- 
ened to upset the canoe. This frail craft, upon a nearer in- 
spection, proved to be made only of rough planks, rudely 
tied together with the sinews of animals ; in fact, one of 




Bartering with FueSiana 

the party had to bale constantly, in order to keep her 
afloat. We flung them a rope, and they came alongside, 
shouting ' Tabaco, galleta ' (biscuit), a supply of which we 
threw down to them, in exchange for the skins they had 
been waving ; whereupon the two men stripped themselves 
of the skin mantles they were wearing, made of eight or 
ten sea-otter skins sewed together with finer sinews than 
those used for the boat, and handed them up, clamouring 



i3 6 A GOOD EXCHANGE. 

for more tobacco, which we gave them, together with some 
beads and knives. 1 Finally, the woman, influenced by this 
example, parted with her sole garment, in return for a little 
more tobacco, some beads, and some looking-glasses I had 
thrown into the canoe. 

The party consisted of a man, a woman, and a lad ; and 
I think I never saw delight more strongly depicted than 
it was on the faces of the two latter, when they handled, 
for the first time in their lives probably, some strings 
of blue, red, and green glass beads. They had two 
rough pots, made of bark, in the boat, which they also 
sold, after which they reluctantly departed, quite naked 
but very happy, shouting and jabbering away in the most 
inarticulate language imaginable. It was with great diffi- 
culty we could make them let go the rope, when we went 
ahead, and I was quite afraid they would be upset. They 
were all fat and healthy-looking, and, though not handsome, 
their appearance was by no means repulsive ; the coun- 
tenance of the woman, especially, wore quite a pleasing 
expression, when lighted up with smiles at the sight of the 
beads and looking-glasses. The bottom of their canoe was 
covered with branches, amongst which the ashes of a recent 
fire were distinguishable. Their paddles were of the very 
roughest description, consisting simply of split branches of 
trees, with wider pieces tied on at one end with the sinews 
of birds or beasts. 

Steaming ahead, past Port Gallant, we had a glorious 
view over Carlos III. Island and Thornton Peaks, until, at 
about seven o clock, we anchored in the little harbour of 
Borja Bay. This place is encircled by luxuriant vegetation, 
overhanging the water, and is set like a gem amid the 
granite rocks close at hand, and the far-distant snowy 
mountains. 

1 These skins proved to be the very finest quality ever plucked, 
and each separate skin was valued in England at from 4/. to $1 



SLIPPERY WALKING. 



137 



Our carpenter had prepared a board, on which the name 
of the yacht and the date had been painted, to be fixed on 
shore, as a record of our visit ; and as soon as the anchor 
was down we all landed, the gentlemen with their guns, and 
the crew fully armed with pistols and rifles, in case of acci- 
dent. The water was quite deep close to the shore, and we 
had no difficulty in landing, near a small waterfall. To 




Thornton Peats 

penetrate far inland, however, was not so easy, owing to the 
denseness of the vegetation. Large trees had fallen, and, 
rotting where they lay, under the influence of the humid 
atmosphere, had become the birthplace of thousands of 
other trees, shrubs, plants, ferns, mosses, and lichens. In 
fact, in some places we might almost be said to be walking 
on the tops of the trees, and first one and then another 
of the party found his feet suddenly slipping through into 
unknown depths below. Under these circumstances we 



138 LEAVING OUR CARDS. 

were contented with a very short ramble, and having filled 
our baskets with a varied collection of mosses and ferns, we 
returned to the shore, where we found many curious shells 
and some excellent mussels. While we had been thus 
engaged, the carpenter and some of the crew were employed 
in nailing up our board on a tree we had selected for the 
purpose. It was in company with the names of many 
good ships, a portion of which only were still legible, 
many of the boards having fallen to the ground and become 
quite rotten. 

Near the beach we found the remains of a recent fire, 
and in the course of the night the watch on deck, which was 
doubled and well-armed, heard shouts and hoots proceeding 
from the neighbourhood of the shore. Towards morning, 
too, the fire was relighted, from which it was evident that the 
natives were not far off, though they did not actually put in 
an appearance. I suppose they think there is a probability 
of making something out of us by fair means, and that, un- 
like a sealing schooner, with only four or five hands on 
board, and no motive power but her sails, we are rather too 
formidable to attack. 

Monday, October gtk — We are indeed most fortunate in 
having another fine day. At 6 am. the anchor was weighed, 
and we resumed our journey. It was very cold ; but that 
was not to be wondered at, surrounded as we are on 
every side by magnificent snow-clad mountains and superb 
glaciers. First we passed Snowy Sound, in Tierra del 
Fuego, at the head of which is an immense blue glacier. 
Then came Cape Notch, so called from its looking as if it 
had had a piece chopped out of it Within a few yards of 
the surrounding glaciers, and close to the sea, the vegeta- 
tion is abundant, and in many places semi-tropical, a fact 
which is due to the comparatively mild winters, the tempe- 
rate summers, the moist climate, and the rich soil of these 
parts. Passing up English Reach, we now caught our first 
elimpse of the Pacific Ocean, between Cape Pillar on one 



SPLENDID GLACIERS. 



139 



side, and Westminster Hall, Shell Bay, and Lecky Point, 
on the other. Steering to the north, and leaving these on 
our left hand, we issued from the Straits of Magellan, and 
entered Smyth's Channel, first passing Glacier Bay and Ice 
Sound, names which speak for themselves. Mount Joy, 
Mount Burney, with its round snow-covered summit, rising 



SmM 



'■:.", '■-. 




six thousand feet from the water, and several unnamed 
peaks, were gradually left behind ; until, at last, after 
threading a labyrinth of small islands, we anchored for the 
night in Otter Bay, a snug little cove, at the entrance to the 
intricacies of the Mayne Channel. 

It was almost dark when we arrived, but the children, 
Caotain Brown, and I went on shore for a short time, and 



i 4 o A FUEGIAN VILLAGE. 

gathered a few ferns and mosses. We also found the 
embers of a fire, which showed that the natives were not 
far off, and we therefore thought it prudent to hurry on 
board again before nightfall. No names of ships were 
to be seen ; but, in our search for ferns, we may possibly 
have overlooked them. We have not come across any 
Fuegians to-day, though in two of the places we have 
passed — Shell Bay and Deep Harbour, where a few wigwams 
are left standing as a sort of head-quarters — they are gene- 
rally to be met with. During the night the watch again 
heard the natives shouting ; but no attempt was made to 
re-light the fire we had noticed, until we were steaming out 
of the bay the next morning. 

Tuesday, October 1 02V?.— In the early morning, when we 
resumed our voyage, the weather was still fine ; but a few 
light clouds were here and there visible, and an icy wind, 
sweeping down from the mountains, made it appear very 
cold, though the thermometer — which averages, I think, 40 
to 50 all the year round — was not really low. The line of 
perpetual snow commences here at an elevation of from 2,500 
to 3,500 feet only, which adds greatly to the beauty of the 
scene ; and as it is now early spring the snow is still un- 
melted, 500 feet, and even less, from the shore. The stu- 
pendous glaciers run right down into the sea, and immense 
masses of ice, sometimes larger than a ship, are continually 
breaking off, with a noise like thunder, and falling into the 
water, sending huge waves across to the opposite shore, and 
sometimes completely blocking up the channels. Some 
of these glaciers, composed entirely of blue and green ice 
and the purest snow, are fifteen and twenty miles in length. 
They are by far the finest we have, any of us, ever seen ; and 
even those of Norway and Switzerland sink into comparative 
insignificance beside them. The mountains here are not so 
high as those of Europe, but they really appear more lofty, 
as their entire surface, from the water's edge to the extreme 
summit, is clearly visible. At this end of the Straits they 



A NAMESAKE. 



terminate in peaks, resembling Gothic spires, carved in the 
purest snow ; truly ' virgin peaks,' on which the eye of man 
has but seldom rested, and which his foot has never touched. 
They are generally veiled in clouds of snow, mist, and 
driving rain, and it is quite the exception to see them as 
distinctly as we now do. 

After leaving Mayne's Channel, and passing through 
Union and Collingwood Sounds, we found ourselves be- 
neath the shadow of the splendid Cordilleras of Sarmiento 
— quite distinct from Mount Sarmiento, already referred 
to — along the foot of which extended the largest glacier 
we have yet seen. 1 With Tarleton Pass on our right hand, 
and Childer's Pass on the left, we came in sight of Owen's 
Island, one extremity of which is called Mayne Head, and 
the other Cape Brassey, these places having all been so 
named by Captain Mayne, during his survey in the ' Nas- 
sau,' in 1869. Near the island of Esperanza, the clouds 
having by that time completely cleared away, and the sun 
shining brightly, we had a splendid view of another range 
of snowy mountains, with Stoke' s Monument towering high 
in heir midst. The numerous floating icebergs added 
greatly to the exquisite beauty of the scene. Some loomed 
high as mountains, while others had melted into the most 
fanciful and fairy-like shapes — huge swans, full-rigged 
ships, schooners under full sail, and a hundred other fan- 
tastic forms and devices. The children were in ecstasies al 
the sight of them. 

As we gradually opened out our anchorage — Puerto 
Bueno — we found a steamer already lying there, which 
proved to be the 'Dacia,' telegraph ship, just in from 
the Pacific coast. Having dropped our anchor at about 
5 p.m., we all went on shore, armed as before, some of the 
gentlemen hoping to find a stray duck or two, at a fresh- 

1 I should explain that the names of places in these Straits fre- 
quently occur in duplicate, and even triplicate, which is rather 
confusing. 



142 MEETING FRIENDS. 

water lake, a little way inland. We met several of the 
officers of the ' Dacia,' who, being the first comers, did the 
honours of the place, and told us all they knew about it. 
The vegetation was as luxuriant and beautiful as usual — ■ 
in fact, rather more so ; for we are now advancing north- 
wards at the rate of about a hundred miles a day. There 
were no ducks in the lake, but we enjoyed the scramble 
alongside it, to the point where it falls over some rocks 
into the sea. The gig was drawn under this waterfall, and 
having been loaded to her thwarts with about three tons 
and a half of excellent water, she was then towed off to 
the yacht, where the water was emptied into our tanks, 
which were thus filled to the brim. A small iceberg, also 
towed alongside, afforded us a supply of ice ; and we were 
thus cheaply provided with a portion of the requisite 
supplies for our voyage. The 'Dacia' had an iceberg 
half as big as herself lying alongside her, and all hands 
were at work until late at night, aided by the light of 
lanterns and torches, chopping the ice up and stowing it 
away. 

Our boat being thus engaged, we were obliged to wait on 
shore until long past dark ; but as we were a large and 
strong party, it did not much matter. Our men amused 
themselves by collecting a number of large and excellent 
mussels, some of which, distinguishable by the peculiar 
appearance of their shells, arising from a diseased condition 
of the fish, contained from ten to thirty very small seed 
pearls. The captain of the ' Dacia ' came to dinner, and 
the officers in the evening ; and they gave us much valuable 
information about the anchorages further up the Straits, 
and many other things. The captain kindly gave Tom all 
his Chilian charts of the Darien Channel, which has not yet 
been fully surveyed by the English Government, though the 
'Nassau' passed through in 1869. 

Wednesday, October nth. — I never in my life saw any- 
thing so beautiful as the view when I came on deck this 




CHURCH IX SANTIA 



GLACIERS AND ICEBERGS. 143 

morning, at a quarter to five. The moon was shining, large 
and golden, high in the heavens ; the rosy streaks of dawn 
were just tinging the virgin snow on the highest peaks 
with faint but ever-deepening colour ; whilst all around, 
the foliage, rocks, and icebergs were still wrapped in the 
deepest shade. As the sun rose, the pink summits of the 
mountains changed to gold and yellow, and then to dazzling 
white, as the light crept down into the valleys, illuminating 
all the dark places, and bringing out the shades of olive- 
greens, greys, and purples, in the most wonderful contrasts 
and combinations of colour. The grandeur of the scene 
increased with every revolution of the screw, and when 
fairly in the Guia narrows we were able to stop and admire 
it a little more at our leisure, Mr. Bingham making some 
sketches, while I took some photographs. To describe the 
prospect in detail is quite impossible. Imagine the grandest 
Alpine scene you ever saw, with tall snowy peaks and pin- 
nacles rising from huge domed tops, and vast fields of 
unbroken snow ; glaciers, running down into the sea, at the 
heads of the various bays ; each bank and promontory richly 
clothed with vegetation of every shade of green ; bold rocks 
and noble cliffs, covered with many-hued lichens ; the 
floating icebergs ; the narrow channel itself, blue as the 
sky above, dotted with small islands, each a mass of ver- 
dure, and reflecting on its glassy surface every object with 
such distinctness that it was difficult to say where the reality 
ended and the image began. I have seen a photograph of 
the Mirror Lake, in California, which, as far as I know, is 
the only thing that could possibly give one an idea of 
the marvellous effect of these reflections. Unfit Bay, on 
Chatham Island, looking towards the mountains near Pill 
Channel, and Ladder Hill, which looks as if a flight of 
steps had been cut upon its face, were perhaps two of the 
most striking points amid all this loveliness. 

All too soon came the inevitable order to steam ahead ; 
and once more resuming our course, we passed through 



144 



ROCKS AND RAVINES. 



Innocents and Conception Channels, and entered Wide 
Channel, which is frequently blocked up with ice at this 
time of year, though to-day we only met with a few ice- 
bergs on their way down from Eyre Sound. 

I have already referred to the extraordinary shapes as- 
sumed by some of the mountain peaks. That appropriately 




Unfit Bay. 



called Singular Peak— on Chatham Island — and Two-peak 
Mountain and Cathedral Mountain — both on Wellington 
Island — specially attracted our attention to-day. The 
first-named presents a wonderful appearance, from which- 
ever side you view it ; the second reminds ore of the 
beautiful double spires at Tours; while the last resembles 
the tapering spire of a cathedral, rising from a long roof, 
covered with delicate flowers, fret-work, and angles. In 



PEAKS AND PINNACLES. 



145 



Wide Channel we felt really compelled to stop again to 
admire some of the unnamed mountains. One we chris- 
tened Spire Mountain, to distinguish it from the rest ; it 
consisted of a single needle-like point, piercing deep into 
the blue vault of heaven, and surrounded by a cluster of 
less lofty but equally sharp pinnacles. This group rose 
from a vast chain of exquisitely tinted snow-peaks that 




Two-peaked Mountain. 



looked almost as if they rested on the vast glacier beneath, 
seamed with dark blue and green crevasses and fissures. 

All this time the weather continued perfect. Not a 
cloud was to be seen, the sun was hot and bright, and the 
sky was blue enough to rival that of classic Italy. If we 
could but be sure that this delightful state of things would 
continue, how pleasant it would be to stop and explore 
some of these places. We have, however, been so frequently 
warned of the possibility of detention for days and even 



146 CHASM REACH. 



weeks at anchor, owing to bad weather, that we are hurry- 
ing on as fast as we can, expecting that every day will 
bring the much-dreaded deluge, gale, or fog. In thick 
weather it is simply impossible to proceed ; and if it comes 
on suddenly, as it generally does, and finds you far from 
an anchorage, there is nothing to be done but to heave-to 
and wait till it clears, sending a party ashore if possible 
to light a fire, to serve as a landmark, and so enable 
you to maintain your position. How thankful I am that 
we have been hitherto able to make the passage under 
such favourable circumstances ! It has been a vision of 
beauty and variety, the recollection of which can never be 
effaced. 

Europe Inlet, on our right, going up Wide Channel, was 
full of ice. Husband's Inlet looked as if it was frozen over 
at the farther end, and Penguin Inlet seemed quite choked 
up with huge hummocks and blocks of ice. Tom therefore 
decided not to attempt the passage of Icy Reach, for fear of 
being stopped, but to go round Saumarez Island to Port 
Grappler by way of Chasm Reach, rather a longer route. 
It was a happy decision ; for nothing could exceed the 
weird impressive splendour of this portion of the Straits. 
We were passing through a deep gloomy mountain gorge, 
with high perpendicular cliffs on either side. Below, all 
was wrapped in the deepest shade. Far above, the sun 
gilded the snowy peaks and many-tinted foliage with his 
departing light, that slowly turned to rose-colour ere the 
shades of evening crept over all, and the stars began to 
peep out, one by one. We could trace from the summit to 
the base of a lofty mountain the course of a stupendous 
avalanche, which had recently rushed down into the sea, 
crushing and destroying everything in its way, and leaving 
a broad track of desolation behind it. It must for a time 
have completely filled up the narrow channel ; and woe to 
any unfortunate vessel that might happen to be there at 
such a moment ! 



A DANGEROUS SPOT. 



147 



Port Grappler is rather a difficult place to make in the 
dark ; but Tom managed it with much dexterity, and by 
eight o'clock we were safely anchored for the night. We 
all wanted Tom to stay here to morrow to get some rest, 
which he much needs, but he has determined to start at 
five o'clock in the morning as usual, for fear of being caught 
by bad weather. Even I, who have of course had no 
anxiety as to the navigation, felt so fatigued from having 
been on the bridge the whole day since very early this 




Indian Reach 



morning, that I went straight to bed before dinner, in order 
to be ready for to-morrow. 

Thursday y October \2tl1. — A day as perfect as yester- 
day succeeded a clear cold night. We weighed anchor at 
5.15 a.m., and, retracing our course for a few miles, passed 
round the end of Saumarez Island, and entered the narrow 
channel leading to Indian Reach. The greatest care is here 
necessary, to avoid several sunken rocks, which have already 
proved fatal to many ships, a large German steamer having 
been wrecked as recently as last year. The smooth but 
treacherous surface of the channel reflected sharply the 
cliffs and foliage, and its mirror-like stillness was only 



148 DISAPPOINTED TRADER. 

broken at rare intervals, by the sudden appearance of a 
seal in search of a fresh supply of air, or by the efforts, 
delayed until the very last moment, of a few steamer-ducks, 
gannets, or cormorants, to get out of our way 

Having accomplished the passage of Indian Reach in 
safety, we were just passing Eden Harbour, when the cry 
of ' Canoe ahead ! ' was raised. A boat was seen paddling 
out towards us from behind Moreton Island, containing 
about half-a-dozen people, apparently armed with bows 
and arrows and spears, and provided with fishing-rods, 
which projected on either side. One man was standing up 
and waving, in a very excited manner, something which 
turned out ultimately to be a piece of cotton-waste. Our 
engines having been stopped, the canoe came alongside, 
and we beheld six wild-looking half-naked creatures — two 
men, three women, and a very small boy, who was crouch- 
ing over a fire at the bottom of the boat. There were also 
four sharp, cheery-looking little dogs, rather like Esquimaux 
dogs, only smaller, with prick ears and curly tails, who 
were looking over the side and barking vigorously in re- 
sponse to the salutations of our pugs. One man had on a 
square robe of sea-otter skins, thrown over his shoulders, 
and laced together in front, two of the women wore sheep- 
skins, and the rest of the party were absolutely naked. 
Their black hair was long and shaggy, and they all cla- 
moured loudly in harsh guttural tones, accompanied by 
violent gesticulations, for ' tabaco ' and ' galleta.' We got 
some ready for them, and also some beads, knives, and 
looking-glasses, but through some mistake they did not 
manage to get hold of our rope in time, and as our way 
carried us ahead they were left behind. The passage was 
narrow, and the current strong, and Tom was anxious to 
save the tide in the dangerous English Narrows. We could 
not, therefore, give them another chance of communicating 
with us, and accordingly we went on our way, followed by 
what were, I have no doubt, the curses — not only deep, but 



INTRICATE NAVIGATION. 149 

loud — of the whole party, who indulged at the same time in 
the most furious and threatening gestures. I was quite sorry 
for their disappointment at losing their hoped-for luxuries, 
to say nothing of our own at missing the opportunity of 
bargaining for some more furs and curiosities. 

Shortly afterwards there were seen from the masthead 
crowds of natives among the trees armed with long spears, 
bows, and arrows, busily engaged pushing off their canoes 
from their hiding-places in creeks and hollows ; so perhaps 
it was just as well we did not stop, or we might have been 
surrounded. Not far from here are the English Narrows, a 
passage which is a ticklish but interesting piece of navi- 
gation. A strong current prevails, and, to avoid a shoal, it is 
necessary at one point to steer so close to the western shore 
that the bowsprit almost projects over the land, the branches 
of the trees almost sweep the rigging, and the rocks almost 
scrape the side of the vessel. Two men were placed at 
the wheel, as a matter of precaution, and we appeared to 
be steering straight foi the shore, at full speed, till Tom 
suddenly gave the order ' Hard a-port ! ' and the ' Sunbeam ' 
instantly flew round and rushed swiftly past the dangerous 
spot into wider waters. It is just here that Captain Trivett 
was knocked off the bridge of his vessel by the boughs — 
a mishap he warned Tom against before we left England. 

Whilst in the Narrows we looked back, to see every- 
thing bright and cheerful, but ahead all was black and dis- 
mal ; the sky and sun were obscured, the tops of the moun- 
tains hidden, and the valleys filled up with thick fog and 
clouds — all which seemed to indicate the approach of a storm 
of rain, although the glass was still very high. We went 
up South Reach and North Reach, in the Messier Channel, 
till, just as we were off Liberta Bay, in lat. 48 50' S., long. 
74 25' W., the blackest of the black clouds came suddenly 
down upon us, and descended upon the deck in a tremen- 
dous shower — not of rain, but of dust and ashes. Windows, 
hatches, and doors were dhut as soon as we discovered 



ISO DUST STORM, 



the nature of this strange visitation, and in about half 
an hour we were through the worst of it : whereupon dust- 
pans, brooms, and dusters came into great requisition. It 
took us completely by surprise, for we had no reason to 
expect anything of the sort. Assuming the dust to be of 
volcanic origin, it must have travelled an immense distance ; 
the nearest volcano, as far as we know, being that of Cor- 
covado, in the island of Chiloe, nearly 300 miles off. We 
had heard from Sir Woodbine Parish, and others at Buenos 
Ayres, of the terrible blinding dust-storms which occur 
there, causing utter darkness for a space of ten or fif- 
teen minutes ; but Buenos Ayres is on the edge of a river, 
with hundreds and thousands of leagues of sandy plains 
behind it, the soil of which is only kept together by the 
roots of the wiry pampas grass. For this dust to reach 
the Messier Channel, where we now are, it would have to 
surmount two chains of snowy mountains, six or seven 
thousand feet in height, and in many places hundreds of 
miles in width, and traverse a vast extent of country 
besides. 

The weather was still so fine, and the barometer so high 
— 30*52 inches — that Tom determined to go to sea to-day, 
instead of stopping at Hale Cove for the night, as we had 
originally intended. Directly we got through the English 
Narrows, therefore, all hands were busily engaged in once 
more sending up the square-yards, top-masts, &c, and in 
making ready for sea. Just before sunset, as we were quit- 
ting the narrow channels, the sun pierced through the clouds 
and lightened up the lonely landscape as well as the broad 
waters of the -Pacific Ocean. Its surface was scarcely 
rippled by the gentle breeze that wafted us on our course ; 
the light of the setting sun rested, in soft and varied tints 
on the fast-fading mountains and peaks ; and thus, under 
the most favourable and encouraging circumstances, we 
have fairly entered upon a new and important section oi 
our long voyage. 



THE BROAD PACIFIC. 151 

Although perhaps I ought not to say so, I cannot 
help admiring the manner in which Tom has piloted his 
yacht through the Straits, for it would do credit, not only 
to any amateur, but to a professional seaman. He has 
never hesitated or been at a loss for a moment, how- 
ever intricate the part or complicated the directions ; but 
having thoroughly studied and mastered the subject be- 
forehand, he has been able to go steadily on at full speed 
the whole way. It has, however, been very fatiguing work 
for him, as he hardly ever left the bridge whilst we were 
under way. 

We steamed the whole distance from Cape Virgins to 
the Gulf of Peflas, 659 knots, in j6 hours, anchoring six 
times. This gives seven days' steaming, of an average 
length of eleven hours each ; and as we stopped two or 
three hours, at different times, for Fuegians, photographs, 
and sketches, our average speed was nine and a half knots, 
though sometimes, when going with strong currents, it was 
twelve or fourteen, and, when going against them, barely 
six knots. 

Just at dark, we passed between Wager Island and 
Cheape Channel, where H.M.S. ' Wager,' commanded by 
Captain Cheape, was wrecked, and we spent the night in 
the Gulf of Penas, almost becalmed. 

Friday, October i$tk. — We ceased steaming at 7.30 a.m., 
and made every effort throughout the rest of the day, by 
endless changes of sail, to catch each fleeting breath of 
wind. We did not, however, make much progress, owing 
to the extreme lightness of the breeze. 

Sorry as we are to lose the scenery of the Straits, it 
is pleasant to find the weather getting gradually warmer, 
day by day, and to be able to regard the morning bath 
once more as a luxury instead of a terror. The change 
is also thoroughly appreciated by the various animals 
we have on board, especially the monkeys and parrots, 
who may now be seen sunning themselves in every warm 



A WHALE'S MOUTH. 



corner of the deck. In the Straits, though the sun was 
hot, there was always an icy feeling in the wind, owiru* 
to the presence of enormous masses of snow and ice on 
every side. 

Saturday, October 14th. — Light winds and calms pre- 
vailed the whole day. About 2 p.m. we were off the island 
of Socorro. In the afternoon a large shoal of whales 
came round the yacht. I was below when they first made 
their appearance, and when I came on deck they were 
spouting up great jets of water in all directions, suggestive 
of the fountains at the Crystal Palace. We were lying so 
still that they did not seem to be in the least afraid of us, 
and came quite close, swimming alongside, round us, across 
our bows, and even diving down under our keel. There 
was a shoal of small fish about, and the whales, most of 
which were about fifty or sixty feet in length, constantly 
opened their huge pink whalebone-fringed mouths so wide 
that we could see right down their capacious throats. 
The children were especially delighted with this perform- 
ance, and baby has learned quite a new trick. When 
asked, ' What do the whales do ? ' she opens her mouth as 
wide as she can, stretches out her arms to their fullest 
extent, then blows, and finishes up with a look round for 
applause. 

Soon after 8 p.m. the wind completely died away, and, 
fearing further detention, we once more got up steam. 

Sunday, October i$th. — Still calm. We had the litany 
and hymns at 11 a.m. ; prayers and hymns and a sermon 
at 5 p.m. In the course of the afternoon we were again 
surrounded by a shoal of whales. We passed the island of 
Chiloe to-day, where it always rains, and where the vegeta- 
tion is proportionately dense and luxuriant. It is inhabited 
by a tribe of peculiarly gentle Indians, who till the ground, 
and who are said to be kind to strangers thrown amongst 
them. Darwin and Byron speak well of the island and its 
inhabitants, who are probably more civilised since their 



BIRD-FISHIAG. 



153 



time, for a steamer now runs regularly once a week from 
Valparaiso to San Carlos and back for garden produce. 
The potato is indigenous to the island. 

Tuesday, October lyth. — At 6 a.m., there being still no 
wind, Tom, in despair of ever reaching our destination 
under sail alone, again ordered steam to be raised. Two 
hours later a nice sailing breeze sprang up ; but we had 
been so often disappointed that we determined to continue 
steaming. Just before sunset we saw the island of Mocha 




Catching Cape-Pigeons in the ^ulf of PeBae 



in the distance. It is said to have been inhabited at one 
time by herds of wild horses and hogs, but I think they 
have now become extinct 

One of our principal amusements during the calm 
weather has been to fish for cape-pigeons, cape-hens, gulls, 
and albatrosses, with a hook and line. We have caught a 
good many in this way, and several entangled themselves 
in the threads left floating for the purpose over the stern. 
The cape-pigeons were so tame that they came almost on 
board, and numbers of them were caught in butterfly-nets. 
Their plumage is not unlike grebe, and I mean to have 



154 BIRD-SKINNING. 



some muffs and trimmings for the children made out of 
it. Allen, the coxswain of the gig, skins them very well, 
having had some lessons from Ward before we left England. 
I want very much to catch an albatross, in order to have it 
skinned, and to make tobacco-pouches of its feet and pipe- 
stems of the wing-bones, for presents. 



CHAPTER X. 

CHILI. 

Sunbeam of summer, oh what is likt the*, 
Hope of the wilderness, joy of the sea. 

Wednesday, October \Zth. — At 3.30 a.m. we were close 
to the land lying south of the Bay of Lota ; at 4 a.m. the 
engines were stopped on account of the mist ; and at 6 a.m. 
we began to go slowly ahead again, though it was still not 
very easy to make out the distance and bearing of the 
coast. The passage into the bay, between the island of 
Santa Maria and Lavapie Point, is narrow and difficult, and 
abounds with sunken rocks and other hidden dangers, not 
yet fully surveyed. Tom said it was the most arduous 
piece of navigation he ever undertook on a misty morning; 
but happily he accomplished it successfully. Just as he 
entered the sun broke through the mist, displaying a beauti- 
ful bay, surrounded on three sides by well-wooded hills, and 
sheltered from all winds except the north. One corner is 
completely occupied by the huge establishment belonging 
to Madame Cousiflo, consisting of coal-mines, enormous 
smelting-works, and extensive potteries. The hill just at 
the back is completely bare of vegetation, which has all 
been poisoned by the sulphurous vapours from the furnaces. 
This spot, from its contiguity to the works, has been se- 
lected as the site of a village for the accommodation of the 
numerous labourers and their families. It is therefore to 
be hoped that sulphur fumes are not as injurious to animal 
as they evidently are to vegetable life. As we drew nearer 



156 AN ARTIFICIAL PARADISE. 

to the shore we could distinguish Madame Cousiflo's house, 
in the midst of a park on the summit of a hill, and sur- 
rounded on all sides by beautiful gardens. Every promi- 
nent point had a little summer-house perched upon it, and 
some of the trees had circular seats built round their trunks 
half-way up, approached by spiral staircases, and thatched 
like wigwams. The general aspect of the coast, which is a 
combination of rich red earth, granite cliffs, and trees to 
the water's edge, is very like that of Cornwall and Devon- 
shire. 

We had scarcely dropped our anchor before the cap- 
tain of the port came on board, and told us we were too 
far from the shore to coal, which was our special object in 
coming here ; so up went the anchor again, and we steamed 
a few hundred yards further in, and then let go close to 
the shore, in deep water. Captain Moller waited to go 
ashore with us, introduced our steward to the butcher and 
postmaster of the place, and then accompanied us to 
Madame Cousiflo's gardens. 

It was a steep climb up the hill, but we were well re- 
warded for our labour. Tended by over a hundred men, 
whose efforts are directed by highly paid and thoroughly 
experienced Scotch gardeners, these grounds contain a 
collection of plants from all the four quarters of the globe, 
and from New Zealand, Polynesia, and Australia. Amid 
them were scattered all kinds of fantastic grottoes, fountains, 
statues, and ferneries ; flights of steps, leading downwards 
to the beach, and upwards to sylvan nooks ; arcades, arched 
over with bamboos, and containing trellis-work from Derby- 
shire, and Minton tiles from Staffordshire ; seats of all sorts 
and shapes, under trees, in trees, and over trees ; besides 
summer-houses and pagodas, at every corner where there 
was a pretty view over land or sea. 

One of the heads of the establishment, a great friend of 
Madame Cousiflo's, was unfortunately very ill, and as she 
was nursing him, she could not come out to see us ; but she 



COPPER MINES. 157 



kindly gave orders to her gardener to send some cut 
flowers and some ferns on board the yacht, to decorate 
the saloon ; and as she was unable to invite us to luncheon 
at the big house, she sent some champagne and refresh- 
ments down to the Casa de la Administracion, where we 
were most hospitably entertained. She has had the latter 
place comfortably fitted up for the use of the principal em- 
ployes on the works, and has provided it with a billiard- 
table, a very fair library, and several spare bed-rooms for 
the accommodation of visitors. 

After luncheon we went to see the copper-smelting 
works, which were very interesting. > The manager walked 
through with us, and explained the processes very clearly. 
He could tell at once, on taking up a piece of rough ore, 
fresh from the mine, what percentage of copper or iron it 
contained, the amount varying from ten to seventy -five per 
cent, of the gross weight. The furnaces are kept burning 
night and day, and are worked by three gangs of men ; and 
the quantity of copper produced annually is enormous. 
In fact, three parts of the copper used in Europe comes 
from here. The ore is brought from various parts of Chili 
and Peru, generally in Madame Cousino's ships ; and coal 
is found in such abundance, and so near the surface, that the 
operation of smelting is a profitable one. Our afternoon, 
spent amid smoke, and heat, and dirt, and half-naked work- 
men, manipulating with dexterous skill the glowing streams 
of molten ore, was a great contrast to our morning ramble. 

Having seen the works, and received a curious and in- 
teresting collection of copper ore, as a remembrance of 
our visit, we started in a little car, lined with crimson cloth, 
and drawn by a locomotive, to visit the various coal- 
mines. First we went through the park, and then along a 
valley near the sea, full- of wild flowers and ferns, and trees 
festooned with ' copigue,' the Chilian name for a creeper 
which is a speciality of this country, and which imparts a 
character of its own to the landscape during the month of 



158 COAL-PITS. 



May, when its wreaths of scarlet, cherry, or pink flowers are 
in full bloom. We went to the mouths of three coal-pits, 
and looked down into their grimy depths, but did not 
descend, as it would have occupied too much time. They 
are mostly about 1,000 yards in depth, and extend for 
some distance under the sea. 

We next visited a point of land whence we could see 
an island which closely resembles St. Michael's Mount 
It is quite uninhabited, except by a few wild goats and 
rabbits. The sea-shore is lined with trees to the water's 
edge, and there are many bold rocks and fine white sandy 
caves in different parts of it. Some boats were drawn up 
high and dry on the beach, along which several picturesque- 
looking groups of shell-fish collectors were scattered. The 
mussels that are found here are enormous — from five to 
eight inches in length— and they, together with cockles and 
limpets, form a staple article of food. 

A steam-launch had been sent to meet us, but it could 
not get near enough to the shore for us to embark. A 
rickety, leaky small boat, half full of water, was therefore, 
after some delay, procured, and in this we were sculled out, 
two by two, till the whole party were safely on board 
Outside there was quite a swell, and a north wind and rain 
are prophesied for to-morrow. Mr. Mackay returned with 
us to the yacht, and stayed to dinner. Before he left, the 
prognostications of bad weather were to some extent justi- 
fied ; for the wind changed, and rain, the first we have felt 
for some time, began to fall. 

Thursday, October \tyh. — We have been persuaded by 
our friends here to try and see a little more of the interior 
of Chili than we should do if we were to carry out our 
original intention of going on to Valparaiso in the yacht, 
and then merely making an excursion to Santiago from 
that place. We have therefore arranged to proceed at once 
overland to Santiago, by a route which will enable us to 
see something of the Cordillera of the Andes, to have a 



SLIDING AND JOLTING. 159 

peep at the Araucanian Indians on the frontier, and to 
visit the baths of Cauquenes. Tom, however, does not like 
to leave the yacht, and has decided to take her up to Val- 
paraiso, and then come on to Santiago and meet us, in 
about five or six days' time. The anchor was accordingly 
hove short, and the mizen hoisted, when we landed this 
morning, in a drenching rain. 

A coach runs daily from Lota to Concepcion, the first 
stage of our journey, but a special vehicle was engaged for 
our accommodation, and a curious affair it was to look at. 
It seemed to be simply a huge wooden box, suspended, by 
means of thick leather straps, from C springs, without 
windows or doors, out provided with two long, narrow 
openings, through which you squeezed yourself in or out, 
and which could be closed at pleasure by roll-up leather 
blinds. Inside, it was roomy, well-padded, and comfortable. 

The rain had made the road terribly greasy, and several 
times the carriage slewed half-way round and slid four or 
five feet sideways down the hill, causing us to hold on, in 
expectation of a spill. At last we reached the bottom in 
safety, and, crossing a small river, emerged upon the sea- 
shore at Playa Negra, or Black Beach, along which we 
drove for some distance through the deep, loose sand, the 
horses being up to their fetlocks in water most of the time. 
Then we forded another little river, and, leaving the beach, 
proceeded up a steep road, not more than three yards wide, 
with a ditch on one side and a steep precipice on the other, 
to the little village of Coronel, overlooking the bay of the 
same name. While the horses were being changed, we 
walked down to the little wooden pier, on the sea-shore, 
and saw the ' Sunbeam ' just coming out of Lota Bay. 

Drawn up by the side of the pier was a picturesque- 
looking market-boat, full of many sorts of vegetables, and 
little piles of sea-eggs, with their spines removed, and 
neatly tied up with rushes in parcels of three The people 
seemed to enjoy them raw, in which state they are con- 



i6o SEA-EGG OMELETTES. 

sidered to be most nutritious ; and when roasted in their 
shells, or made into omelettes, they are a favourite article 
of food with all classes. Coronel is a great coaling station, 
and the bay, which is surrounded by tall chimneys, shafts, 
and piers, connected with the mines, was full of steamers 
and colliers. 

Our road now ran for some time through undulating 
pasture-land, in which were many large trees, the scene 
resembling a vast park. Masses of scarlet verbena, yellow 
calceolaria, and white heath, grew on all sides, while the 
numerous myrtle, mimosa, and other bushes, were entwined 
with orange-coloured nasturtiums, and a little scarlet tro- 
paeolum, with a blue edge, whose name I forget. Beneath 
the trees the ground was thickly carpeted with adiantum 
fern. The road over which we travelled was of the worst 
description, and our luncheon was eaten with no small 
difficulty, but with a considerable amount of merriment. 
Once, when we jolted into an unusually big hole, the whole 
of our provisions, basket and all, made a sudden plunge 
towards one side of the coach, and very nearly escaped us 
altogether. 

Half-way between Coronel and Concepcion, we met the 
return stage-coach, crowded with passengers, and looking 
as if it had just come out of the. South Kensington Museum 
or Madame Tussaud's, or like the pictures of a coach of 
Queen Elizabeth's time. It was a long low vehicle, with 
unglazed windows all round it, painted bright scarlet 
decorated with brilliant devices on every panel, and sus- 
pended, like our own, by means of innumerable leather 
straps, from huge C springs. The seats on either side held 
three passengers, and there was a stool in the middle, like • 
the one in the Lord Mayor's coach, on which four people 
sat, back to back. 

Soon after we drew up to rest the horses at a little 
posada, kept by two Germans, called ' Half-way House,' and 
seven miles more brought us to a rich and well-cultivated 



AN UNFORTUNATE MONARCH. 161 



farm belonging to Mr. Hermann, where we stopped to 
change horses. 

It was six o'clock in the evening when we reached the 
Bio-Bio, a wide shallow river, at the entrance of the town 
of Concepcion ; it had to be crossed in a ferry-boat, 
carriage and all, and as it was after hours, we had some 
difficulty in finding any one to take us over. At last, in 
consideration of a little extra pay, six men consented to 
undertake the job, and having set a square-sail, to keep us 
from being carried down the river by the current, they punted 
us over with long poles. Sometimes there was nine feet of 
water beneath us, but oftener not more than four or five. 
The boat could not get close to the opposite shore, and it 
was a great business to get the carriage out and the horses 
harnessed, in some eighteen inches of water. First the car- 
riage stuck in the sand, and then the horses refused to move, 
but after a great deal of splashing, and an immense display 
of energy in the way of pulling, jerking, shrieking, shouting — 
and, I am afraid, swearing — we reached the bank, emerged 
from the water, struggled through some boggy ground, and 
were taken at full gallop through the streets of the town, 
until we reached the Hotel Comercio, where we found 
comfortable rooms and a nice little dinner awaiting us. 

This was all very well, as far as it went, but when we 
came to inquire about our onward route we were dis- 
appointed to learn that the line to Angol was closed, 
owing to the breaking down of a bridge, and would 
remain so until next month, and that, with the exception 
of a contractor's train, which runs only once a week, there 
was nothing by which we could travel. ' To-morrow is 
Friday,' added Monsieur Letellier, ' and that is so near 
Monday, what can Madame do better than wait here till 
then ? ' By way of consolation, he informed us that there 
were no Indians now at Angol, as the Araucanian ! Indians 

l'l have lately received a letter from a friend in Paris, who sayi: 
" I grieve to tell, it is only a few days ago that poor Orelie Antoine I„ 



1 62 EARTHQ UAKES. 



had recently all been driven further back from the frontier 
by the Chilenos, but that, if we were still bent on trying 
to get there, we could go by boat as far as Nacimiento, 
where we might, with some difficulty, procure a carriage. 
The river just now, however, is so low, that the boat 
frequently gets aground, and remains for two or three 
days ; therefore, taking everything into consideration, we 
have decided to abandon this part of our programme, for 
otherwise we shall not reach Santiago in time. In any case, 
the journey will be a much longer one than we expected. 

Friday, October 20th. — We went out for a short stroll 
round the Plaza before breakfast, which meal was scarcely 
over when Mr. Mackay arrived in a carriage, and took us 
off to see what there was to see in the town. The Plaza 
was full of bright-looking flower-beds, in which were superb 
roses, and many English flowers, shaded by oranges, pome- 
granates, and deutzias. Each plot belongs to one of the 
principal families in the town, and great emulation is dis- 
played as to whose little garden shall be in the best order 
and contain the finest collection of plants and flowers. 

Concepcion has suffered, and still suffers, much from 
earthquakes. The existing town is only thirty-five years 
old. The houses are all one story high only, and the 
streets, or rather roads, between them are wide, in order to 
afford the inhabitants a chance of escape, should their 
dwellings be thrown down by a sudden shock. In summer 
everybody rushes out into the street, no matter what hour 
of the day or night it may be, as soon as the first symptoms 
of an earthquake are felt ; but during the winter, when 

ex-King of Araucania, died at Bordeaux, in a hospital. He reigned 
for some years, and then made war upon Chili, which gave him a 
warm reception ; even captured his Majesty and sent him back to his 
native land. I met him here a few years ago, surrounded by a small 
court, which treated him with great deference. I found him a dignified, 
intelligent sovereign. He attempted to return to his kingdom, but was 
captured on the high seas by a Brazilian cruiser, and sent back to 
France to die a miserable death.' 




^■"^B 






V 







^^d J, 



• 




AN ENGLISH HOME IN CHILI. 163 

the shocks are never so severe, the alarm caused is not so 
great. The old town was about two miles distant from the 
present site, near a place now called Penco, but after being 
demolished in the ordinary way, an immense wave rolled 
up and completely destroyed all traces of its existence. 

We drove out to Puchacai, Mr. Mackay's hacienda, a 
pretty little thatched cottage, surrounded by a verandah, 
in the midst of a garden, where laburnums and lilacs bloom 
side by side with orange-trees and pomegranates. Round 
the garden are groves of shady English oaks (the first we 
have seen since leaving home) and Norfolk Island pines, the 
effect of the whole scene being strangely suggestive of the 
idea that a charming little bit of English rural scenery has 
in some mysterious manner been transported to this out-of- 
the-way spot in Chili. The interior of the house, which is 
simply but tastefully furnished, and at the time of our visit 
was full of fresh flowers, arranged with an artistic eye to 
colour, bears the same indescribable homelike air. We 
were kindly received and regaled with luncheon, including, 
amongst other good things, fried pejerey (king of fish), 
deservedly so called. 

In the afternoon we strolled about the garden, and 
looked at the farm and stable, and were shown the 
probable winner of one of the prizes at the forthcoming 
race-meeting. In the cottages on the estate some speci- 
mens of minaque lace were offered to us — a lace made by 
most of the peasants in this part of the country. It varies 
considerably in quality, from the coarse kind, used for 
covering furniture, to the finest description, used for per- 
sonal adornment. It is very cheap, wears for ever, and 
strongly resembles the torchon lace, now so fashionable in 
Paris and London for trimming petticoats and children's 
frocks. The women also spin, dye, and weave the wool from 
the fleece of their own sheep into the bright-coloured pon- 
chos universally worn, winter and summer, by the men in this 
country. These ponchos are not made of nearly such good 



1 64 



A CHILIAN RAILWAY. 



material as those used in the Argentine Republic, but they 
are considerably gayer and more picturesque in appearance. 

After dinner, there was nothing to do except to stroll 
about the town and buy photographs. They are extremely 
good in Chili — both views and portraits — but proportion- 
ately dear, the price being double what would be charged 
in London or Paris for the same thing. 

Saturday, October 21st. — Having wished good-bye to Mr. 
Mackay, and taken our seats in the train for Linares, we 
were now fairly launched on our own resources in a strange 
country, I being the only one of the party who could speak 




Waiting for the Train, Chili. 



even a little Spanish. At San Romde we stopped half an 
hour to allow the train from Chilian to pass. Most of the 
passengers took the opportunity of breakfasting, but as 
we were not hungry we occupied the time in having a chat 
with the engine-driver, a very intelligent Canadian. He 
told us that, as it happened, we might have gone to Angol 
to-day after all, as a special car and engine were going 
there to take a doctor to see a patient, returning early to- 
morrow morning. 

The railroad runs alongside the Bio-Bio all the way to 
San Romde. On either bank are low wooded hills, on 



A LARGE FAIR. 165 



whose sides vines are cultivated in considerable quantities. 
The wild flowers grow luxuriantly everywhere : calceolarias, 
especially, in huge bushes of golden bloom, two or three 
feet high. At San Romde we left the river, and travelled 
through a pretty and well-cultivated country to Chilian, 
which derives its name from an Indian word, signifying 
'saddle of the sun,' and is so called from the fact that the 
sun shines upon it through a saddle-shaped pass in the 
chain of the Andes. 

Like Concepcion, the existing town has been recently 
built at a distance of about a mile from the remains of the 
old place of the same name, which was overthrown by an 
earthquake about thirty years ago. The destruction was, 
however, not so complete as in the case of Concepcion, and 
some few of the better-conditioned houses are still inha- 
bited by very poor people, though the walls have great 
cracks in them from top to bottom, and they are otherwise 
in a deplorable state. A large cattle and horse market is 
held at Chilian every Saturday, and it is said that, on 
these occasions, 100,000 dollars frequently change hands 
in the course of the morning, in the open market-place. 
All the business of the day was over by the time we got 
there, and there was nothing to be seen but a few stray 
beasts and quaint bullock-carts, and some peasants selling 
refreshments, minaque lace, and other trifles. In several of 
the old-fashioned shops on the Plaza there were curious- 
looking stirrups, bits, spurs, and other horse-gear, all made 
of solid silver, roughly worked by the Indians themselves. 

Having had our baths, we returned to the hotel, where 
we found dinner laid out in my bed-room, which happened 
to be the largest, for our host did not approve of our dining 
at the table-d'hote, as we should have preferred to do. He 
gave us an excellent dinner, with good wine, and attended 
to us most assiduously himself. 

While the gentlemen were smoking, I went to see a 
poor engine-driver who had met with a bad accident. 



i66 A BAD ACCIDENT. 

and who was lying at this hotel. He is a fine healthy, 
looking Englishman, and he told me that, until this mis- 
fortune, he had never known a day's illness in his life. 
It seems that, at four o'clock in the afternoon of this 
day week, he was sent off with a special engine to convey 
an important message. Something going wrong during 
the journey, he slackened speed, and, in stepping off the 
engine to see what was the matter, his foot slipped, and 
the wheel of the tender went over it. He had no one with 
him who could manage the engine alone, so he was 
obliged to get up again, and endeavour to struggle on to 
Talca ; but after going a few miles further, the engine 
suddenly ran off the track, at a part of the unfinished line 
that had not yet been sufficiently ballasted. They could 
not get it on again unaided, and one of the men had to start 
off and walk many miles before he could procure assist- 
ance. Altogether, poor Clarke underwent forty-two hours 
of intense agony from the time of the accident until he 
received any medical attention. In spite of this he is now 
doing well ; and though the foot, which is in a bath oj 
carbolic acid and water, looks very bad, he is in great 
spirits, because the three local doctors, in consultation, 
have decided that amputation will not be necessary. He 
spoke in the highest terms of the kindness of our French 
host and his Spanish wife, the latter of whom, he says, 
has nursed him like a mother. He certainly has the one 
large room in the house, and when I saw him his bed was 
comfortably made and arranged, flowers and fruit were on 
a table by his side, and everything looked as neat and 
snug as possible. It was a treat to him to see some one 
fresh from the old country, and to hear all the news, and 
our voyage appeared to interest him greatly. While I was 
with him one of his friends came in, who remembered me 
quite well, and who knew one or two people with whom we 
are acquainted, including the manager of Messrs. Bowdler 
and Chaffers' yard, where the ' Sunbeam ' was built 



NO BRIDGES. 167 




Sunday, October 22nd. — Though it was Sunday, we 
had no choice but to travel on, or we should not have been 
able to start until Tuesday. We were therefore up at five 
o'clock, and at the station before seven. 
From San Carlos, where we arrived at 
8.15 a.m., we started for Linares, which 
was reached a couple of hours later. It 
is a much smaller town than Chilian, but 
is built on exactly the same plan — Plaza, 
cathedral, and all. To-day the streets 
were crowded with men on horseback, A FeUo-w Passenger 
who had brought their wives in, seated pillion-fashion 09 
the crupper behind them, to attend mass. 

Our road lay through a rich country, intersected by 
small rivers, with the distant snowy chain of the Andes 
as a background, and through thickly planted groves of 
poplars, growing in long shady avenues, fragrant with 
perfume from the magnificent roses which blossomed 
beneath their shade. In the course of our four hours' 
drive, we crossed a great many streams, in some of which 
the water was deep enough to come in at the bottom of 
the carriage, and cause us to tuck ourselves up on the 
seats ; there was always a little pleasing excitement and 
doubt, as we approached one of these rivulets, as to 
whether we were to be inundated or not. We met a good 
many people riding and walking about in their holiday 
clothes, and at all the cabarets groups of talkers, drinkers, 
and players were assembled. 

The cottages we have seen by the roadside have 
been picturesque but wretched-looking edifices, gene- 
rally composed of the branches of trees stuck in the 
ground, plastered with mud and thatched with reeds. 
Two outhouses, or arbours, consisting of a few posts and 
sticks, fastened together and overgrown with roses and 
other flowers, serve respectively as a cool sitting-room and 
a kitchen, the oven being invariably built on the ground 



<S8 A RICH COUNTRY. 

outside the latter, for the sake of coolness. The women, 
when young, are singularly good-looking, with dark com- 
plexions, bright eyes, and luxuriant tresses, which they 
wear in two plaits, hanging down their backs far below 
the waist. The men are also, as a rule, fine-looking. In 
fact, the land is good, and everybody and everything looks 
prosperous. The beasts are up to their knees in rich pas- 
ture, are fat and sleek, and lie down to chew the cud of 
contentment, instead of searching anxiously for a scanty 
sustenance. The horses are well fed, and their coats are 
fine and glossy, and the sheep, pigs, and other animals are in 
equally good condition. It is therefore a cheery country 
to travel through, and at this spring-time of the year one 
sees it in its highest perfection. 

Before reaching Talca we had to cross the Maule, a 
wide, deep river, with a swift current. The carriage was 
first put on board a large flat-bottomed boat, into which 
the horses then jumped, one by one, the last to embark 
tumbling down and rolling among the legs of the others. 
With a large oar the boat was steered across the stream, 
down which it drifted about 200 yards into shallow water, 
where the boatmen jumped out and towed us to a con- 
venient landing-place. Here we found several people 
waiting to be ferried over. A troop of mules having been 
driven into the water, which they seemed rather to enjoy, 
swam across safely, though they were carried some distance 
down the river. 

About five o'clock we arrived at Talca, and went 
straight to the Hotel Colon, kept by Gassaroni. Every 
Italian who starts an hotel in this part of the world calls it, 
as a matter of course, ' The Columbus Hotel ; ' for they are 
very anxious to claim the great navigator as a countryman, 
though the Spaniards dispute their right to do so, on the 
ground that Genoa, where he was really born, was at 
that time an independent State. While we were waiting 
for dinner we walked about the town, which so exactly 



A DISTURBING SERENADE. 169 

resembles Concepcion and Chilian in the arrangement of its 
streets, buildings, and trees, that I doubt whether any one 
familiar with the three places could tell immediately which 
town he was in, if transported suddenly to the middle of 
the Plaza, though I believe Talca is rather the largest. 
It still retains its old Indian name, meaning ' thunder,* 
doubtless on account of the frequency and violence of the 
thunder-storms by which it is visited. 

Monday, October 2$rd. — Soon after midnight I was 
aroused by a great noise. At first I thought I was dream 
ing, but a very brief reflection convinced me of the existence 
of an energetically played big-drum, somewhere in the 
immediate neighbourhood of my bed-room. I at once got 
up and, peeping through the window in the door, saw a 
military band of twenty-five performers, standing on the 
other side of the courtyard, blowing and hitting their hard- 
est. It must be confessed that they played well, and that 
their selection of music was good, but it was, nevertheless, 
rather annoying, after a long and fatiguing day, and with 
the prospect of an early start, to be kept awake until half- 
past three in the morning, while they serenaded and toasted 
the prima donna, and each of the other members of the 
theatrical company who are staying here. The noise was, 
of course, increased by the reverberation from the walls of 
the courtyard, and, finding it impossible to sleep, I aban- 
doned the attempt, and took to writing instead. At last 
the welcome notes of the Chilian national air gave me hope 
that the entertainment was over for the night — or rather 
morning — and soon afterwards all was once more quiet 

We left Talca by the 7.30 train, Mr. Budge, who had 
business at Curico, accompanying us. All the engines 
and rolling stock this side of Santiago are of American 
make and pattern. Mr. Budge had secured one of the long 
cars, with a passage down the centre, and a saloon at each 
end, for us, so we were very comfortable, and he told us a 
great deal about the country as we went along. Like all 



170 A FAITHLESS GUARD. 

Chilenos, he is very patriotic, and is especially proud of the 
financial stability of his country. He often said, ' If Eng- 
lish people would only invest their money here, instead of 
in Peru or the Argentine Republic, they would get eight 
per cent, on good security.' We heard the same thing 
from many other sources ; and it certainly does seem that 
this country is the most settled, and the least liable to be 
disturbed by revolutions, of any in South America. At 
Curico l we breakfasted at a little restaurant on Chilian 
dishes and the wine of the country. The latter is excellent 
and of various kinds, but it is so cheap that none of the 
innkeepers can be persuaded to supply it to travellers, 
whose only chance of tasting it, therefore, is at some small 
inn. 

Mr. Budge left us at Pelequen, the next station to San 
Fernando, having put us in charge of the conductor, who 
promised to see after us at Cauquenes, but who wofully 
betrayed his trust. There was no regular station at the 
latter place, but as the train stopped, and we saw 'Bains 
de Cauquenes ' on an hotel close by, we jumped out just 
in time to see it go on again. Luckily the other pas- 
sengers were kind enough to interest themselves on our 
behalf, and shrieked and hallooed to such good purpose that 
the engine was once more brought to a standstill, and 
our luggage was put out. Half-a-dozen little boys carried 
it to the inn, where I had to explain to the patron, in my 
best Spanish, that we wanted a carriage to go to the 
baths, seven leagues off. In a wonderfully short space of 
time, four good horses were harnessed to a queer sort of 
vehicle, which held four inside and one out, besides the 
driver, and which had to be entered by means of a ladder. 
Having all packed in, and paid our fare beforehand, we 
were rattled off at a merry pace towards the Andes. The 
road went up and down and round about, and crossed 

1 An Indian name, signifying 'black waters,' having reference to 
the mineral springs in the neighbouring mountains. 



MINERAL BA THS. 171 



many rivers,, but was fairly good throughout. We changed 
once at a large hacienda, where a man went into a large yard, 
containing about sixty horses, and dexterously lassoed the par- 
ticular four required for our use. Several horsemen were 
waiting about, and I looked at their saddles, which were 
made of a dozen or more skeepskins, laid one on the top of 
the other, forming a soft seat to ride in by day and a comfor- 
table bed to sleep on at night. 



Baths of Cauquenes, 




Early in the afternoon we saw some buildings in the 
distance, which we rightly guessed to be the baths, and 
soon afterwards we passed in at the entrance gate of the 
establishment, by the side of which was a rock with the 
word ' Welcome ' painted upon its face. The whole distance 
from the station was twenty-three miles, which we had 
accomplished in a little over two hours. Driving between 
hedgerows of roses in full bloom, we were not long in 



173 A MUCH-TEASED MONKEY. 

reaching the door of the hotel, where we were received by 
the proprietor. He told us he was very full, but he 
managed to find us some small rooms, and then conducted 
us to the luxuriously fitted bathing establishment. After 
this came the table-d'hote, to which about seventy sat 
down, though many of the visitors were dining in their own 
rooms. In the evening we walked about the garden and 
chatted with several people, who all seemed to have heard 
of us and our voyage, and to be anxious to know what we 
thought of the Straits. We saw some English papers too, 
which was a great treat, though there did not seem to be 
much news in them. 

Tuesday, October 2\th. — This is a wonderful place, built 
entirely of wood. The centre part is a square, seventy 
yards in extent, surrounded by a single row of one-storied 
rooms, with doors opening into the courtyard, and windows 
looking over the river or up into the mountains. In the 
middle of the square are a pavilion containing two billiard- 
tables, a boot-blacking arbour, covered with white and 
yellow jessamine and scarlet and cream-coloured honey- 
suckle, plenty of flower-beds, full of roses and orange- 
trees, and a monkey on a pole, who must, poor creature, 
have a sorry life of it, as it is his business to afford amuse- 
ment to all the visitors to the baths. He is very good- 
tempered, does several tricks, and is tormented • from early 
dawn to dewy eve.' I remonstrated with our host on his 
behalf; but he merely shrugged his shoulders and said, 
' Mais il faut que le monde se divertisse, Madame.' From 
the centre square, marble steps lead to a large hall, with 
marble baths on either side, for ladies and gentlemen respec- 
tively. A few steps further bring one to a delightful 
swimming-bath, about forty feet square, filled with tepid 
water. The water, as it springs from the rock, is boiling 
hot, and contains, I believe, a good deal of magnesia and 
other salts, beneficial in cases of rheumatism and gout ; 
but the high temperature of the water makes the air very 



COXDORS. 



'73 



muggy, and we all found the place relaxing, though 
perhaps it was because we indulged too freely in the baths, 
which are a great temptation. 

In the afternoon we went for a ride, to see a celebrated 
view of the Andes. Unfortunately it was rather misty, 
but we could s°e enough to enable us to imagine the rest 




Up tna Valley towards tiie Andes. 

Some condors were soaring round the rocky peaks, and 
the landscape, though well clothed with vegetation, had a 
weird, dreary character of its own, partly due to the 
quantity of large cacti that grew in every nook and corner, 
singly, or in groups of ten or twelve, to the height of 
twenty or thirty feet Though they say it hardly ever 
rains in Chili, a heavy shower fell this afternoon, and our 



174 



CHARACTERISTIC VEGETATION. 



landlord thoughtfully sent a boy on horseback after us with 
umbrellas. 

Wednesday, October 2$th. — The bath was so delightful 
this morning, that we felt quite sorry it was to be our last 
One could very well spend a week or two here, and find 
plenty to do in the way of excursions into the valleys 
of the Andes, which look most inviting in the distance. 

At half-past ten, we set out on our return journey to 
the railway, changing horses at the same place where we 

_ ^ ^ _ _^==- had stopped at coming up, 

and which we reached half 
an hour before the train was 
due ; when it arrived we 
were allowed to get in with 
our belongings in rather a 
less hurried fashion than we 
had alighted. Luncheon 
was procured at Rancagua, 
and we finally reached San- 
tiago at about 4.50 p.m. 
No sooner had we got fairly 
into the station than the car 
was invaded by a crowd of 
porters touting for employ- 
ment. They are all dressed 
in white, and wear red caps, on which is a brass number, 
by means of which they are easily recognised. The land- 
lord from the Hotel Ingles, M. Tellier, met us, and we at 
once drove off, leaving our luggage to follow, in charge of 
one of the red-capped gentlemen. The drive from the 
station was along the. Almeda, on either side of which 
were many fine houses ; but the road was ill paved and 
rou^h as usual. 

The Grand Hotel, which used to be considered the best 
in South America, is now shut up, the company who owned 
it having recently failed ; so all the smaller hotels, none 




Cacti of the Cordial* 



DISAPPOINTMENT. in 

of which are very good, are crowded to overflowing. The 
Hotel Ingles is considered the best, though I cannot say 
much in its favour. The rooms are good, but the situation 
is noisy, being at the corner of two streets; the servants 
are attentive, but the cuisine and arrangements are bad. 
Independently of all this, we have great reason to com- 
plain of the conduct of the landlord, for my first question, as 
soon as he had introduced himself, was, of course, ' Have 
Mr. and Miss Brassey arrived ? ' Yes, Madame, and 
went away this morning.' ' What ! and left no letter ? ' 
' No ; but Monsieur returns to-morrow.' Imagine my sur- 
prise and disappointment ! But there was nothing to be 



% -'• 



.£$$£&-: 



Huatso iiute. 



done but to gc to the hotel and wait patiently. We 
afterwards found that Tom had left a long letter, and that 
he had never said a word about returning. The wretched 
man would not give me the letter, because he thought 
he could detain us, and he never sent the telegram I 
handed to him to forward to Tom at once, asking for 
an answer. 

Our luggage arrived just in time to enable us to dress 
for the second table-d'hote at six o'clock, after which we 
went for a walk through some arcades, paved with marble, 
and full of fine shops, past the Grand Hotel, which was 
situated at the end of the Alameda, and is built over an 



i*> 



SANTIAGO. 



arcade of shops. It is a handsome building, and must 
command a fine view. The cathedral and the arch- 
bishop's palace, large but rather dull-looking brick build- 
ings, are close by. The surrounding gardens looked pretty 
by gaslight, and the scent of roses pervaded the evening 




Huassoof Chili. 



CHAPTER XI. 



SANTIAGO AND VALPARAISO. 



Gems of the changing autumn, how beautiful you art. 
Shining from your glassy stems, like many a golden star. 

Thursday, October 26th. — Our kind hostess at Lota had 
given us a letter of introduction to her manager at 
Santiago, who called this morning to inquire what arrange- 
ments he could make which would be most agreeable to us 
during our stay. She had also 
given orders that her carriages 
and horses should be placed at 
our disposal, and at about ten 
o'clock we all started in an open 
break, drawn by a pair of good- 
looking half-bred brown horses, 
bigger than any we had seen 
before in this country. 

We went first to the Com- 
paftfa, a large open square, 
planted with flowers, the site of 
the old Jesuit Church, which 
was burnt down on December 
8th, 1863. Well known as the 

. \ UormcA Manual HaaoaAo 

story is, I may here recall the 

tragic details, standing on the very spot where they took 
place. It was the Feast of the Virgin, and the church was 
densely crowded with a congregation composed almost 





178 FIRE AT THE C0MPA&1A, 

entirely of women, principally young, many of whom 
were servant-girls. Some of the draperies used in the 
decoration of the building caught fire, the flames spread 
rapidly, destroying in their course the cords by which 
the numerous paraffin and oil lamps were suspended 
across the nave and aisles, and precipitating their burning 
contents upon the people beneath. The great doors opened 
inwards ; the crowd, trying to press out, closed them, and 
kept them hermetically sealed. The priests, anxious to 
save the church properties and sacred relics, shut the large 
iron gates across the chancel and kept them fastened, not- 
withstanding the agonising shrieks of the unhappy victims, 
many of whom might otherwise have escaped. Their con- 
duct on this terrible occasion created at the time a feeling 
of bitter and universal indignation, and caused a shock to 
the popularity and authority of the priesthood in this 
country, from which it will take them a long time to recover. 
Mr. Long told us that, between seven and eight o'clock 
on the evening of the catastrophe, he was walking with 
some friends on the Alameda, when he saw smoke rising in 
dense volumes from the quarter of the city where the 
house in which he resided was situated. He and his 
friends ran quickly in the direction of the fire, giving the 
alarm as they went, and on reaching the church they found 
the doors closely shut, while fearful screams were issuing 
from the interior, and smoke and flames pouring from 
the windows. They got a party of men together accus- 
tomed to the use of the lasso — no difficult task here — and 
with them climbed from the neighbouring houses to the 
top of the church. Making a hole in the roof, they then 
dropped their lassoes over some of the women beneath, 
and so dragged them out of the building ; but the number 
thus saved was necessarily very small, and it happened too 
often that many of the poor creatures below, in their 
eagerness to escape, hung on to the legs or body of the 
one they saw lassoed, and by their weight literally dragged 



A HORRIBLE SCENE. 179 

her to pieces. Sometimes even a lasso broke, and those 
clinging to it, when almost within reach of safety, were 
again precipitated into the burning mass below. Any one 
who has seen a raw hide lasso, capable of withstand- 
ing the sudden rush of the fiercest bull ever captured, will 
be able to realise the immense strain which would be re- 
quired to cause one to give way. The next morning at 
daybreak, the interior of the church presented a terrible 
spectacle. Mr. Long described it as being full of women, 
standing up, tightly wedged together, their hands stretched 
out as if in an attitude of supplication, their faces and the 
upper part of their bodies charred beyond recognition, 
the lower part, from the waist downwards, completely un- 
touched. 

Their remains were buried in one large grave, in the 
cemetery of the Recoleta, and the spot is now marked by 
a square piece of ground, full of bright flowers, enclosed 
by iron railings, almost hidden by the creepers that en- 
twine them, and shaded by willows, orange-trees, cypresses, 
and pomegranates. In the centre is a large cross, and on 
either side of the iron railings there is a marble tablet 
with the simple but touching inscription, in Spanish — 

1 Incendio de la Iglesia 

de la Compafifa, 

8 de Diciembre, 1863. 

Restos de las Vfctimas ; 

2000, mas o menos.' 

(Burning of the Church of the Compafifa, December 8th, 1863 

Remains of the victims. 2,000, more or less.) 

Almost every household in Santiago had lost one of 
its members. One lovely girl of seventeen was pulled out 
through the roof and taken to Madame Cousifio's residence, 
where she lay for nearly a fortnight. She suffered the 
greatest agonies, but was sensible to the last, and gave a 
graphic account of the whole harrowing scene. The site 
of the church, hallowed by such sad memories, has never 
been built upon, but is preserved as an open space. 



180 THOROUGHBRED STOCK. 

surrounded by a strip of garden, and having in its centre 
a finely carved monument. 

The Houses of Congress were the next thing we went 
to see, after which we drove through a great part of the 
city and over a handsome bridge with statues and small 
niches on either side. Beneath it, however, there is little 
more than a dry torrent bed ; and it is said that an 
American, when visiting this spot with a Santiago friend, 
who was showing him round, remarked, ' I guess you ought 
either to buy a river or sell this here bridge.' We also 
went to the Church of La Recoleta. From the church we 
went to the cemetery of the same name, which is prettily 
laid out, and well stocked with flowers and trees. 

It being now past eleven o'clock, we began to think 
about breakfast, and accordingly returned to the hotel, 
where I was disappointed to find no news from Tom and 
no answer to the telegram I sent last night. 

At one o'clock we started again, and had a pleasant 
but rather dusty drive of eight miles to Macul, the stud- 
farm established by the late Don Luis Cousifio. 

We had some luncheon at Mr. Canning's house, in a 
room that had recently been split from top to bottom by 
an earthquake, and afterwards sat in the verandah to see 
the horses and some of the cattle, which were brought 
round for our inspection. Amongst them were Fanfaron, 
Fandango, and other beautiful thoroughbreds, three fine 
Cleveland coach-horses, Suffolk cart-horses and percherons, 
and some of the young stock. We saw only a few of the 
beasts, as at this time they are away feeding on the hills, 
but I believe they are as good as the horses. Mr. Long 
had arranged for us all to ride round the farm, and I was 
mounted on a lovely chestnut mare, sixteen hands high, 
daughter of Fanfaron, and niece to Kettledrum. I should 
have liked to have bought her and sent her home, but she 
was not for sale, though her value was 400/. English 
horses here are as dear, in proportion, as native horses are 



HOW LASSOES ARE MADE. iSi 

cheap. The latter may be bought for from twenty to 
sixty dollars apiece ; and some of them make capital 
little hacks. 

We rode all over the farm, attended by half-a-dozen 
peones, who drove the young thoroughbred stock together, 
in the enormous fields, for us to see, and afterwards did 
the same thing with some of the cattle. We also went 
through the farm buildings, in one part of which we 
saw the operation of making lassoes. The best are com- 
posed of neatly plaited strips of cured hide, about a quarter 
of an inch wide, the commoner sort being made from an 
undressed cow's hide, with the hair on, cut from the centre 
in an ever-increasing circle, so that they 
are in one piece, many yards in length. 
In another part of the farm there were 
a few acres more of flower-gardens, 
orange-trees, and kitchen-gardens. 

Beautiful as the whole place is, it 
loses much in interest from its vastneas. 
You never seem to know where you are, 
or when you have come to an end. I what m&k ?9 hoi-mo go 
hear that Madame Cousino talks of 
extending the park still further, right up into the moun- 
tains, which seems almost a pity, as it is already too big 
to be kept in really perfect order, even with a hundred and 
twenty men employed upon it. Everything is completely 
surrounded and overgrown with flowers. Even the fields 
are separated by hedges of sweet-smelling double pink 
roses, and these hedges are larger than many a ' bull-finch ' 
in the old country. 

After a delightful gallop of about two hours, we returned 
to the farmhouse, where we found a fresh pair of horses 
waiting for us in the break, and drove back to Santiago by 
moonlight. 

It was eight o'clock when we reached the hotel, and as 
the table-d'hote dinner only lasts from five till half-past 




183 AN UNCIVIL LANDLORD. 

seven, I asked for a private dinner in our own room or in 
the general dining-room, for our own party and two guests 
in addition. But the landlord said he was not at all sure 
about giving us dinner ; he must see what there was in the 
kitchen first. We then declared we would go and dine at 
a caf<6, and in less than half an hour managed to get an 
excellent little dinner at the Cafe" Santiago, though even 
Mr. Long, who ordered it for us, could not induce them to 
give us native wine. I am bound to confess, however, that 
we punished ourselves at least as much as the landlord, for 
as we paid so much a day for board and lodging, he was of 
course bound to provide us with dinner, and we had thus 
to pay for our food twice over. 

Friday, October 27th. — Still no news from Tom. Mr. 
Long called at half-past eight, to take me to the market, 
and my first step was to send another telegram, this 
time taking care to see that it really was despatched. 

We then walked through the streets to the market-hall, 
a handsome iron building, commodiously arranged, which 
was sent out from England in pieces, and put together 
here. All round it are stalls, where you can get a capital 
breakfast, generally consisting of coffee, tender beef-steak, 
buttered toast, and boiled beans, for a small sum. One of 
our party, who had been at the market since half-past five, 
tried one, and fully confirmed the report we had heard as 
to their excellence and cleanliness. At the time of our 
visit all these refreshment stalls were crowded, and I felt 
rather tempted to join one of the hungry merry-looking 
groups myself. The market was well supplied with meat, 
fish, vegetables, fruit, and flowers of all kinds, green peas, 
French beans, and strawberries being specially abundant. 
There were quantities of queer-looking baskets to be seen, 
and some curious potteiy, made by the nuns from a kind 
of cement. Outside the building there were men and 
women hanging about with ponchos, of their own manu- 
facture, which they had brought in from the country, for 



HIGH MASS. l8j 



sale We bought some bright specimens as presents for 
the children, but it took some time to collect them, as each 
individual had only one to offer. They are the work of 
the women, in the intervals of household labour, and as 
soon as one is completed it is sold, in order that materials 
for a fresh one may be purchased. We also bought some 
of the carved wooden stirrups, made in the country, and 
used by all the natives. They are rather like a small coal- 
scuttle in shape, and must be heavy and cumbersome. 

From the market we went to hear high mass at the 
cathedral. This is a fine building, though the interior 
seemed very dark. The high altar was illuminated by 
hundreds of candles, whose light shone on a crowd of kneel- 
ing women, all dressed in black, and with black veils over 
their heads, the contrast between their sombre appearance 
and the gilding and paintings on the walls — handsome at a 
distance, but tawdry on a closer examination — being very 
striking. The organ is of splendid tone and quality and 
reverberated grandly through the aisles, and the whole 
scene was not without a certain impressiveness. I had not 
thought of paying a visit to the cathedral when I went out 
this morning, and it was not until I saw every one staring 
at me that I remembered I had committed the terrible 
mistake of going to church in a hat, and without any veil ; 
but we remained in a dark corner most of the time, and 
emerged into open daylight again before any of the autho- 
rities of the place had time to observe or remonstrate 
with me. My wearing a hat was, however, quite as much 
against all church rules as a similar proceeding on the part 
of a man would have been. The women of this city are 
almost always good-looking when young, and they glide 
gracefully about the streets in their long black clinging 
gowns and tnantos t by which they are completely enveloped 
from head to foot. 

In the afternoon we went for a drive in the park, and to 
see Santa Lucia, of which, as the only hill in Santiago, the 



iC4 EXPENSIVE HATS. 

inhabitants of the city are very proud, and from thence 
drove to the Cousifio Park, an extensive piece of ground 
near the Alameda, laid out and arranged under the direc- 
tion of the late Don Luis Cousifio, and presented by him 
to the city of Santiago. 

After a stroll round the park, Mr. Long took us to 
an emporium for Panama hats, which are made in Lima, 
Guayaquil, and other states of Chili, as well as in Panama, 
from a special kind of grass, split very fine, and worn 
by almost everybody on this coast. The best made cost 
340 dollars, or about sixty guineas, and fifty pounds is not' 
at all an uncommon price to pay, though the inferior kind 
may be had for two pounds. Those ordinarily worn by 
the gentlemen here cost from twenty to thirty pounds each, 
but they are so light, pliable, and elastic that they will 
wear for ever, wash like a pocket-handkerchief, do not get 
burnt by the sun, and can be rolled up and sat upon — in 
fact, ill-treated in any way you like — without fear of their 
breaking, tearing, or getting out of shape. For the yacht, 
however, where so many hats are lost overboard, they 
would, I fear, prove a rather unprofitable investment. 

We now drove back to the hotel, past the Mint, a hand- 
some building, guarded by soldiers, and with windows pro- 
tected by iron gratings. On our return I found that one 
of the valuable ponchos, given to me in the Argentine Re- 
public, had been taken from our room. The landlord 
declined to trouble himself about its recovery, as he said it 
was ' most unlikely that any one would take a thing of no 
value to him here ; ' the real truth being that the guanaco 
ponchos are worth nearly double as much in Chili as they 
are on the other side of the Andes. 

After dinner we walked to the theatre, where we saw 
La Sonnambala, well put on the stage, and well sung and 
acted by an Italian opera company. The prima donna, 
contralto, baritone, and bass were all good, but the scenery 
was occasionally somewhat deficient. The house, which 



AN OPERA IN CHILI. 185 

is highly decorated — perhaps too much so for the ladies' 
dresses — looked well by night, though if it had been full 
the effect would have been still better. The box-tiers are 
not divided into pigeon-holes, as they are with us, and 
everybody can therefore see equally well. The Presidential 
box seemed commodious and handsome, and had the 
Chilian coat of arms in front of it, making it look very 
much like a Royal box. 

The walk back by moonlight was delightful. Some 
of our party afterwards went to the Union Club, where 
they met several English gentlemen, who were most kind 
and pressing in their invitations to them to stay a few days 
longer, and go up the mountains to see the views and to 
have some guanaco shooting. About twenty-four hours 
from here they say you can have your first shot, and a little 
further on you meet them in herds which may be counted 
by thousands. There are also wild horses and wild donkeys. 
Quaggas and huemuls used to be found, but are now extinct 
The last named is a rare animal, exactly resembling a horse 
in every particular, except that its hoofs are cloven. It 
used only to be found in the mountains of Chili, and it is 
one of the supporters of the national coat of arms. 

Saturday, October 2W1. — At 5 a.m. we were called, and 
soon afterwards parting gifts of flowers began to arrive, and 
even I was obliged to confess that four large clothes-baskets 
full of rosebuds were more than I quite knew what to do 
with. At seven Mr. Long came to know if he could help us 
in any way, and a little later Madame Cousino's coachman 
appeared with the carriage, to take us to the station. 

We had a pleasant drive down the Alameda, the sun 
shining brilliantly in a bright blue sky, and the distant 
mountains for the first time being clearly visible. The 
station was crowded with vendors of pottery, curious things 
in buffalo horn, sweetmeats, &c. The rolling stock on this 
line is of English manufacture, and we were therefore put 
into the too familiar, close, stuffy, first-class carriage, and 



186 THE 'BURNING BUSH.' 



duly locked up for the journey down to Valparaiso. The 
line, running as it does through mountain gorges for a great 
portion of the way, must have been a difficult one to make. 

Just now the whole country wears a golden tint from 
the bloom of the espinosa, which seems to grow every- 
where, and which is now in perfection. The branches of 
this shrub are so completely covered with little yellow balls 
of flowers, which come before the leaves, and which have 
no separate stalk, but grow along the shiny, horny branches, 
that they look as if they were made of gold. It is called 
the ' burning bush ' here, and its wood is said to be the 
hardest in the country. The flowers are often plucked off 
and dried, in which state they are most fragrant and are 
used for scenting linen and for keeping away moths. 
The thorns, however, are a terrible nuisance to the shep- 
herds and owners of cattle, catching their clothes and 
tearing them as they gallop swiftly across over the plains. 
If I bore you by saying too much about the flowers, for- 
give me. I want to make you all realise, if possible, what 
a lovely flowery land Chili is. The whole air is quite per- 
fumed with roses, principally large double pink roses, some- 
thing like the old-fashioned cabbage rose, though there are 
a good many of the monthly kind and a few white and 
deep scarlet ones. They formed hedgerows on either side 
of the road, and in many places climbed thirty or forty 
feet up the trees, and then threw down long brambles 
laden with bloom, almost producing the effect of a wall 
of pink. There were also plenty of wild flowers of other 
sorts, such as scarlet and white lilies, larkspurs, eschscholt- 
zias, evening primroses, and many others whose names I do 
not know. 

At Llaillai we stopped for breakfast, procured at a small 
restaurant at the station. While waiting for the train for 
Santiago to come in, we had plenty of time to observe the 
half-Indian girls selling fruit, flowers, cakes, &c, and jab- 
bering away in a sort oi patois Spanish, in recommendation 



'TOUJOURS CEUFS: i*7 

of their wares. Some of them were really pretty, and all 
were picturesquely dressed in bright-coloured stuffs, their 
hair neatly done up and decorated with flowers, their faces 
clean and smiling. At 11.15 a.m. we reached Quillota, 
where the train was literally besieged by men, women, and 
children, offering bouquets for sale — two or three of which 
were thrust in at every carriage window — and baskets of 
strawberries, cherimoyas, nisperos, melons, oranges, sugar- 
cane, plantain, bananas, asparagus, green peas, French 
beans, eggs, chickens, and even fish — nice little pejereyes, 
fresh from the stream close by. It must evidently be the 
custom of the Chilenos to visit by rail these fertile districts, 
for the purpose of doing their marketing ; for the occupants 
of the train soon absorbed the entire stock of the vendors, 
who were left with empty baskets. 

I never saw such a country as this is for eggs and 
chickens. A hen seems never to have a smaller brood than 
ten, and I have often counted from seventeen to twenty-one 
chickens with the mother, and, more than once, as many 
as twenty-four. However well you may have breakfasted 
or dined, the waiters always come at the end of the meal 
to ask, not whether you will have any eggs, but how you 
will have them — fried, boiled, poached, or in some sort of 
omelette. If you refuse altogether, the chances are that 
two very lightly boiled eggs will be placed by your side, 
with the suggestion that you should beat them up and 
drink them. The inhabitants of the country always seem 
to finish their meals with eggs in some form or another. 

The celebrated ' Bell of Quillota,' a mountain which 
derives its name from its peculiar shape, and which serves 
as a good landmark in entering the harbour of Valparaiso, 
is well seen from the railway, a little below Quillota Station. 
We stopped again at Limache, a little village, situated in 
the midst of a fertile country, about twenty-five miles from 
Valparaiso, where fruit, flowers, &c, were as freely offered 
for sale as before, and again at Vina del Mar, the next 



188 FAMILY REUNION. 

station to Valparaiso. There is a good hotel here, in the 
midst of a pretty garden, where you can get an excellent 
breakfast or dinner. 

From this spot the line runs close along the edge of the 
sea, and we strained our eyes in vain, trying to discover the 
yacht. At the station we were assailed by porters and 
touts of every description, but, seeing no one to meet us, 
and not knowing where to go, we contented ourselves with 
collecting our luggage in a little heap, while a fight went 
on close by between a policeman and a coachman, who had 
been too persistent in his endeavours to obtain a fare. 
They knocked one another about a good deal, and broke 
one or two windows, after which they appeared quite satis- 
fied, shook hands, and were good friends again. Tom, 
Mabelle, and Muriel arrived before it was over, and we 
were very glad to meet again after our short absence. 

A long, dusty drive brought us to the mole, and while 
the luggage was being packed into the boat, Tom and I 
went to call on the British Consul, where we found some 
letters. We were on board in time for two o'clock luncheon, 
after which, amid many interruptions from visitors, we 
devoured our news from home and other parts — for amongst 
our letters were some from Natal, India, Japan, Canada, 
Teneriffe, South American ports, St. Petersburg, Con- 
stantinople, and several other places, besides those from 
dear old England. 

About four o'clock Tom and I went ashore. We had 
intended going alone in the ' Flash ' (our lightest boat), but 
a strong southerly wind had sprung up, which at once made 
the sea so rough that we went in the ' Gleam ' (the gig) 
instead, with six oars. It took the men all their time to 
get us ashore, though we had not far to go, for wind, tide, 
and waves were all against us. 

Valparaiso consists mainly of two interminable streets, 
running along the edge of the sea, at the foot of the 
hills, which rise immediately behind them, and on which 



EXTRAVAGANT PRICES. 189 

are built all the residences and villas of the gentlemen 
of the place. Very few live in the town itself, which is 
composed almost entirely of large warehouses and fine 
shops, where you can get almost anything you want by 
paying between three and four times as much for it as you 
would do in England. For instance, the charge for hair- 
cutting is a dollar and a half (4s.), a three-and-sixpenny 
Letts's Diary costs two dollars and a half (10s.), a tall hat 
costs fifty-eight shillings, you must pay sixpence each for 
parchment luggage-labels, threepence apiece for quill pens, 
four shillings for a quire of common notepaper, and so on 
in proportion. 

We had, as I have said, seen the yacht leave Lota Bay, 
with a strong head-wind blowing, on Thursday, the 19th 
instant. In a few hours the wind fell to a calm, which then 
changed to a light favourable breeze, and the ' Sunbeam ' 
reached Valparaiso on the following Saturday afternoon, 
anchoring out in the bay, not far from H.M.S. ' Opal.' 
Here they rolled and tumbled about even more than if they 
had been at sea, the swinging capacities of the saloon tables 
and lamps being tried to the utmost. On Sunday half the 
men went ashore for a few hours' leave, but neither they nor 
the boat returned until the next morning, as they had not 
been allowed to leave the shore after nine o'clock. In the 
meantime Tom had been told that small-pox was raging in 
the town, and he was much annoyed at their having to pass 
the night on shore, owing to proper inquiries as to the 
regulations of the port not having been made by them on 
landing. The next day the doctor went to see some 
medical confrhes at the hospital, and found that the re- 
ports were much exaggerated, the reality being that small- 
pox is always more or less prevalent both here and at 
Santiago. Three months ago it was very bad, but at the 
present time it is not worse than usual. Tom and 
Mabelle started for Santiago on Monday, but unfortunately 
left their letters of introduction behind ; and as they did 



190 FREQUENT EARTHQUAKES. 

not like the hotel, they found it rather dull. We could 
not telegraph to them from Cauquenes, or anywhere en 
route, for there were no wires ; so on Wednesday morning, 
not hearing or seeing anything of us, they returned to Val- 
paraiso. Tom left a long letter for me, with enclosures 
(which I never received), in the innkeeper's hands, asking 
for a telegraphic reply as to our plans and intentions, and, 
as I have already mentioned, never said a word about 
coming back. Thursday was spent in seeing what little 
there is to see in Valparaiso, and in visiting the ' Opal.' 
On Friday Tom went for a sail, moved the yacht close in- 
shore, had a dinner-party on board, and went to a pleasant 
ball afterwards, given by the Philharmonic Society, an asso- 
ciation of the same sort as the one at Rio. It was not, 
however, called a regular ball, but a tertulia, so the ladies 
were in demi-toilette. Tom described the room as good, 
the floor first-rate, the music excellent, the ladies good- 
looking, and the men agreeable. To-day he met us at the 
station with the children ; and now, therefore, one account 
will describe the movements of the whole reunited party. 

Sunday, October 2gt/t. — We all went ashore to church, 
having been told it was only five minutes' walk from the 
landing-place, instead of which it took us at least a quarter 
of an hour, in an intensely hot sun, to climb up a steep hill. 
The building itself was large, airy, and cool, and there is a 
good organ and choir, but most of the choristers had gone 
away to-day to a picnic in the country. During the Litany 
our attention was suddenly drawn to the fact that earth- 
quakes are matters of frequent occurrence in this country, 
by a special prayer being offered up for preservation from 
them and their destructive effects. 

At four o'clock we went ashore for a ride, and having 
climbed the hills at the back of the town, which command 
extensive views over land and sea, we galloped across the 
downs and through some villages on to the old high road 
from Valparaiso to Santiago, along which we rode only 



OFF AGAIN. 191 



for a few yards, turning off into a romantic valley, where 
the path was so narrow that we could barely squeeze 
through between the thickly growing shrubs and trees. 
At last we went up a steep hill on to another high road, 
and re-entered the town quite at the opposite end to that 
at which we had left it, after which a ride of two miles 
along the stony, ill-paved streets brought us to the landing- 
place. 

Monday, October ysth. — We were to be off directly the 
sea-breeze sprang up, at about eleven o'clock, and as I had 
many letters to write, I was called at 4 a.m., and finished 
them all before breakfast at eight But first one visitor 
and then another arrived, and it was nearly eleven o'clock 
when we landed to make the final preparations for starting 
on our long voyage of eleven thousand miles across the 
Pacific. 

Our route, as at present arranged, will be via the 
Society, Friendly, and Sandwich Islands. Juan Fernandez 
(Robinson Crusoe's Island), which we at first thought of 
visiting, we have been obliged, I am sorry to say, to give 
up, not on account of its distance from Valparaiso, as it is 
only 270 miles off, but because it lies too far to the 
southward, and is consequently quite out of the track of 
the trade wind, which we ought to pick up, according to 
the charts and sailing directions, about 500 miles to the 
northward and westward of this place. I have been 
trying to persuade Tom to steam out five or six hundred 
miles, so that we may make a quick passage and econo- 
mise our time as much as possible, but he is anxious to do 
the whole voyage under sail, and we are therefore taking 
very little coal on board, in order to be in the best trim. If 
we do not pick up a wind, however, there is no knowing how 
long we may lollop about. I suppose till we are short of 
water and fresh provisions, when the fires will be lighted 
and we shall steam away to the nearest island — unin- 
habited, we will hope, or at any rate peopled by friendly 



192 ROBINSON CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

natives, which is rather the exception than the rule in the 
south-east corner of the Low Archipelago. There we 
shall fill up with fresh water, bananas, bread-fruit, and per- 
haps a wild hog or two, and resume our voyage to Tahiti. 
But this is the least favourable view of the matter, and we 
must hope to fall in with the trades soon, and that they 
will blow strong and true. 

The island of Juan Fernandez now belongs to the 
Chilian government, but is let on a long lease to a man 
who, they say here, is somewhat of a robber. He was 
very desirous that we should give him a passage in the 
yacht, and another man wanted to come too, with some 
pointers, to show us the best spots for game, goats, turtle, 
crayfish, and sea-fish, with all of which the place abounds. 
Some cattle have also been introduced, and the island is 
much frequented by whalers, who go there for fresh pro- 
visions and water. There is nothing particular to be seen, 
however, and the scenery of the island is not remarkable ; 
at least, so people who have been there tell us, and the 
photographs I have bought quite confirm their report. 
Admiral Simpson, who stayed there once for a fortnight, 
told us a good deal about the place, and strongly recom- 
mended us not to go there unless we had plenty of time 
to spare, as we should not be repaid for our trouble, which 
would probably only result in the dissipation of all our 
childish illusions. 

Our first step on landing this morning was to go to the 
Consul's to post our letters. By the bye, I hope people in 
England will appreciate them, for they cost between nine 
and ten pounds to send home. For our outward letters, 
although prepaid in England, we had to pay over eight 
pounds before we were allowed to have them from the 
office. Twenty-nine cases of stores, provisions, wine, 
&c, which had also been sent out, all arrived safely, and 
cost comparatively little. There are very good French 
hair-dressers here a tempting hat-shop, and a well-stocked 



A FAIR START. 193 



book-shop ; but everything, as I have said, is frightfully 
dear. 

It was half-past three when the harbour-tug arrived 
to tow us out of the harbour and so save our getting up 
steam. There was not a breath of air stirring, but Tom 
hoped we should find more outside when the tug cast us off. 
As we dropped slowly out, we had a good view of the 
harbour and town ; and we soon found ourselves once 
more fairly embarked on the bosom of the wide ocean. 



CHAPTER Xlt. 

VALPARAISO TO TAHITI. 

The western sea was all aflame, 
The day was well nigh done I 
Almost upon the western wave 
Rested the broad bright sun. 

Tuesday, October list.— Throughout the night a flat calm 
prevailed. The morning was wet and foggy, or we might 
still have seen Valparaiso, and perhaps have had a peep at 
Aconcagua. There was a light contrary wind from the 
N.W. throughout the day. In the afternoon we saw two 
whales blowing in the distance. 

Wednesday, November ist. — An almost calm day, with 
a few light showers, and fitful but unfavourable breezes. 
Some thirty or forty little birds, which the sailors called 
Mother Carey's chickens, but which were smaller and more 
graceful than any I have seen of that name, followed closely 
in our wake. I was never tired of watching the dainty way 
in which they just touched the tips of the waves with their 
feet, and then started off afresh, like a little maiden skip- 
ping and hopping along, from sheer exuberance of spirit. 

Thursday, November 2nd. — A bright sunny morning, 
with a heavy swell and light contrary wind, but the sea 
became more tranquil towards the evening. The sunset was 
superb, and the afterglow, as is often the case in these lati- 
tudes, lighted up sky and sea with an indescribable beauty, 
which attained its greatest magnificence about five minutes 
after the sun had disappeared, reminding one of the 



AMATEUR TAILORS. 



'95 



glorious sunsets of the African deserts, so often described 
by travellers. 

Friday, November $rd. — Still a blue sky, bright sun- 
shine, smooth sea, and light head-wind. The crew have all 
turned tailors, and are making themselves new suits from 
some dungaree we bought at Valparaiso, the clothes we 
expected for them not having met us there. 

Saturday, November 4th. — As fine as ever. This is 
certainly sailing luxuriously, if not swiftly. We have now 
settled down into our regular sea-ways, and have plenty to 




Juvenile >->crub 



do on board ; so the delay does not much signify. Still, 
our time is limited, and we all hope to fall in with the 
trades shortly to carry us to Tahiti or some of the South 
Sea islands. We caught half-a-dozen of the little petrels, for 
stuffing, by floating lines of black cotton astern, in which 
they became entangled. 

To-night's sunset was more superb than ever. Each 
moment produced a new and ever increasingly grand effect. 
I mean to try and take an instantaneous photograph of 



196 A VAST OCEAN. 



one. It would not, of course, reproduce all the marvellous 
shades of colouring, but it would perhaps give some idea of 
the forms of the masses of cloud, which are finer than any 
I ever saw before. This ocean seems to give one, in a 
strange way, a sense of solemn vastness, which was not 
produced to the same extent by the Atlantic. Whether 
this results from our knowledge of its size, or whether it is 
only fancy, I cannot say, but it is an impression which we 
all share. 

Sunday, November $th. — Fine, and considerably hotter, 
though not unpleasantly so. We had the Litany at eleven , 
and evening prayers and a sermon at four o'clock. Not a 
single ship has passed within sight since we left Valparaiso, 
and the only living creatures we have seen are some 
albatrosses, a few white boobies, a cape-hen, the little petrels 
already mentioned, a shoal of porpoises, and two whales. 

Monday, November 6th. — Passed, at 3 a.m. to-day, a 
large barque, steering south, and at 8 a.m. a full-rigged 
ship, steering the same course. We held — as we do with 
every ship we pass — a short conversation with her through 
the means of the mercantile code of signals. (This habit 
of exchanging signals afterwards proved to have been a 
most useful practice, for when the report that the ' Sun- 
beam ' had gone down with all hands was widely circulated 
through England, I might almost say the world, — for we 
found the report had preceded us by telegram to almost all 
the later ports we touched at, — the anxiety of our friends 
was relieved many days sooner than it would otherwise 
have been by the fact of our having spoken the German 
steamer ' Sakhara,' in the Magellan Straits, Oct. 13, four 
days after we were supposed to have gone to the bottom.) 
The weather continues fine, and we have the same light 
baffling winds. We hoped, when we started, to average at 
least 200 miles a day, but now we have been a week at sea, 
and have only made good a little more than 700 miles 
altogether, though we have sailed over 800 miles through 



FAIR AND SOFTLY 



197 



the water. It is, however, wonderful, in the opinion of the 
navigators, that we have made even as much progress as 
this, considering the very adverse circumstances under 
which the voyage has so far been performed, and we must 
endeavour to console ourselves with the reflection that the 
sailing qualities of the yacht have undergone another 




Conversation at Sea 



severe test in a satisfactory manner. How the provisions 
and water will last out, and what time we shall leave 
ourselves to see anything of Japan, are questions which, 
nevertheless, occasionally present themselves to our minds. 
Independently of such considerations, nothing could be 
more luxurious and delightful than our present mode of 



198 AN OUTRIGGER IN THE PACIFIC. 

existence. With perfect weather, plenty of books to read 
and writing to do, no possibility of interruptions, one can 
map out one's day and dispose of one's time exactly as 
one pleases, until the half-past six o'clock dressing-bell — 
which always seems to come long before it is wanted — 
recalls one to the duties and necessities of life. 

Wednesday, November 8th. — A grey cloudy morning 
and a flat calm. At twelve o'clock, to the great joy of 
everybody on board, Tom decided to get up steam, as we 
have now been becalmed quite twenty-four hours, and have 
made but little progress in the right direction for some 
days. The alacrity with which the order to stow sails and 
raise the funnel was obeyed — every one lending a hand — 
and the delight expressed on every countenance, must 
have assured him of at least the popularity of his de- 
cision. 

Whilst we were waiting for steam to be got up, Tom 
took Muriel and me for a row in the ' Flash,' his own par- 
ticular little boat, with about four inches of freeboard. 
The possibility of doing this will give you a better idea of 
the tranquillity of this vast ocean than any description I 
can write. At the same time, when we wanted to get into 
the boat, we found there was a considerable roll on, and 
that it was no easy matter without the aid of a gangway or 
ladder. We rowed a little way from the yacht, and, con- 
sidering how quiet it had seemed to us when on board, it 
was wonderful to observe how she rolled in the trough of 
the sea, without sails to steady her or motive power to 
guide her. The Lota coals, though black and dirty beyond 
description, burn up very quickly, and in about an hour we 
were steaming merrily along, the Arabian horseshoe on 
our bowsprit's end being now pointed direct for the island 
of Tahiti, instead of for wherever the wind chose to 
blow us. 

Thursday, November gth. — A flat calm at 6 a.m. ; a very 
light fair wind at g a.m. In spite of my remonstrances, 



FLOODING THE STORE-ROOM. 199 

Tom determined, at half-past nine, to cease steaming and 
try sailing again. About twelve o'clock a puff came that 
sent us along at the rate of 10^ knots for a short time ; but 
it soon dropped, and during the rest of the afternoon and 
evening, our average speed was only three or four knots an 
hour. This is very poor work for the trades, but 1 don't 
believe we are really in them yet, in spite of the wind 
charts. It is possible that they may vary in different 
years ; besides which it is now the height of summer, with 
the sun south of the line, which would naturally make them 
lighter. 

Saturday, November nth. — At last we seem to be feel- 
ing the influence of the trades, as the wind continues to 
blow from the same direction, though it varies much in force. 
Sometimes we are going along at the rate of 1 if knots, 
sometimes barely five. In the afternoon we had the usual 
Saturday singing practice. 

Sunday, November \2th. — Another lovely day. We 
had the Litany and hymns at eleven, evening service and 
sermon at four. 

Just before morning church some one turned on the 
water in the nursery bath, and forgot to turn it off again, 
so that when we came aft from the saloon we had the plea- 
sure of finding everything in the children's cabins afloat, 
and that a good deal of water had got down into the hold. 
It was rather annoying at the time, but, I dare say, like 
many other present troubles, it was a good thing in the 
end. It obliged us, at any rate, to have all the stores brought 
up on deck, and led to our taking an inventory of our re- 
sources sooner than we should otherwise have done. I am 
sorry to say we found that, owing to the departure of our 
head steward and the illness of his successor, they have not 
been husbanded as carefully as they should have been, 
especially those provided for use forward. Sailors are 
more like children than grown-up men, and require as 
much looking after. While there is water in the tanks, for 



LIVE AND DEAD STOCK. 



instance, they will use it in the most extravagant manner, 
without thought for the morrow; and they are quite as 
reckless with their other stores. 

I find, however, that one of the drawbacks to taking a 
very close personal interest in the housekeeping arrange- 
ments on board is the too intimate acquaintance one makes 
with the various individuals composing the live stock, the 
result being that the private particular history of every 
chicken, duck, turkey, and joint of mutton is apt to be re- 
membered with a damaging effect to appetite. 

In the afternoon two boobies, the first birds we have 
seen for some days, paid us a visit. I suppose we are too 
far out to see anything more of our pretty little friends, the 
petrels. 

Monday \ November i^th. — We had a regular turn-out 
and re-arrangement of our stores to-day, and discovered 
that the waste and mismanagement have been greater 
even than we at first supposed. Fortunately, we found 
some spare tins of provisions stowed away under the 
nursery floor and forgotten, and which will now come in 
very opportunely. But I fear that, even as it is, we may 
be seriously inconvenienced before getting to the end of 
our voyage. Of the six sheep, sixty chickens, thirty ducks, 
and four dozen pigeons, brought on board alive at Val- 
paraiso, we have comparatively few left, and not a great 
deal to give those few to eat ; so we must depend mainly 
on our potted meats and vegetables, which happen to be 
excellent We often wonder how the earlier navigators got 
on, when there were no such things as tinned provisions, 
and when the facilities for carrying water were of the 
poorest description, while they were often months and 
months at sea, without an opportunity of replenishing their 
stores, and with no steam-power to fall back upon in case 
they were becalmed. Still more wonderful, in my opinion, 
is the successful manner in which the Spaniards managed 
to convey their horses in tiny vessels, together with a 



FALLING RIGGING. 



sufficient quantity of forage for them, to the New World, 
where, according to all accounts, they generally arrived in 
good condition, fit to go to work or to war immediately. 

The wind increased in the evening and blew dead aft 
In the middle of the night the mizen-halyards broke, and 
blocks and all came down with a tremendous crash, which 
caused both Tom and me to rush up on deck. About an 
hour and a half's work put everything straight again, how- 
ever, though it looked a sad mess at first. We had 
been remarking at dinner how lucky we had been, with all 
this rolling about in calms and running before the wind, 
not to have had anything carried away or any of the ropes 
chafed. Personally, I think the accident is not to be 
regretted, for now all the fore and aft canvas is stowed, 
and we are running under square canvas alone, which is 
much steadier work, though we still roll considerably. 

Tuesday, November 14th. — Fine, with a strong fair wind. 

I have been laid up for a few days with a touch of my 
old enemy, Syrian fever, but am gradually recovering, 
and enjoy very much lying on deck and reading. 

Our victualling arrangements have now been satisfac- 
torily settled, and everybody has been put on an allowance 
of water, our supply of which will last the whole ship's 
company of forty persons for five weeks, leaving one tank 
still in reserve in case of accidents. As we expect to reach 
our destination in about three weeks from the present 
time, we have therefore, I hope, an ample supply for all 
our requirements. 

Wednesday, November 15th. — Pleasant as we have 
found life at sea in the South Pacific hitherto, it is, I fear, 
monotonous to read about, and I dare say you will find it 
difficult to realise how quickly the days fly past, and how 
sorry we are when each one comes to an end. I am afraid 
they are among those things which do not repeat themselves. 
At any rate, they afford a golden opportunity for reading, 
such as we are not likely to have again often, if ever, in 



OCEAN ROLL. 



our busy lives ; and Tom and I are endeavouring to make 
the best use of it by getting through as many of the seven 
hundred volumes we brought with us as possible. The 
weather favours us in our endeavours to be industrious ; 
for, while it is sufficiently warm to indispose one for a very 
severe course of study, it has never been so hot as to 
compel us to lie down and do nothing but gasp for breath — 
which is what we were warned to expect. There is indeed 
one slight drawback to the perfect enjoyment of our pre- 
sent state of existence, and that is the incessant motion of 
the vessel. When she rolls as quickly as she has done 
to-day, it is difficult to settle down steadily to any occupa- 
tion, and at last one cannot help feeling aggravated at the 
persistent manner in which everything, including one's self,, 
refuses to be still for a single instant. 

Thursday ; November ibth. — To-day it is really warm 
— not to say hot — with a bright cloudless sky, which ren- 
ders an awning acceptable. We saw some ' bo's'n ' birds 
for the first time, and more shoals of flying-fish. I wish a 
few of the latter would come on board ; they would be an 
agreeable addition to our breakfast-table. 

The rolling still continues, the wind being dead aft, 
and nothing but our square canvas being set. The effect is 
rather wearisome, and one longs to be able to say ' Catch 
hold of her head and keep her still, if only for five minutes' 
peace and quietness ! ' Cooking is difficult, and even eat- 
ing is a hazardous occupation ; and at our evening game 
of cards we have to pocket our counters and markers and 
hold on as best we can. 

Friday, November ijtk. — At 8 a.m. the course was 
altered, our fore-and-aft canvas was set again, and we were 
once more gliding along swiftly and smoothly through the 
water, to the great relief of every one on board. The 
day was lovely, and though it was warm, a pleasant 
breeze throughout the ship prevented our feeling uncom- 
fortably hot. 



MONOTONOUS DAYS. 203 

Saturday, November i&th. — The days are so much 
alike that it is difficult to find anything special to say 
about them. They fly so quickly that I was surprised to 
be reminded by the usual singing-practice this afternoon 
that another week had gone by. 

The two green paroquets, ' Coco ' and ' Meta,' given to 
me by Mr. Fisher at Rosario, have turned out dear little 
pets, with the most amusing ways. They are terable 
thieves, especially of sugar, pencils, pens, and paper, and 
being nearly always at liberty, they follow me about just 
like dogs, and coax and caress me with great affection. 
They do not care much for any one else, though they 
are civil to all and good-tempered even to the children, 
who, I am afraid, rather bore them with their attempts at 
petting. The other foreign birds, of which I have a large 
collection, are doing well, and I begin to hope I shall get 
them home safely after all. We had at one time about 
twenty parrots, belonging to the men, on board, all running 
about on deck forward, with their wings clipped, but about 
half of them have been lost overboard. The dogs keep 
their health and spirits wonderfully. Felise is quite young 
again, and she and Lulu have great games, tearing up and 
down and around the decks as hard as they can go. 

Sunday, November \cth. — I am convalescent at last, and 
appeared at breakfast this morning for the first time for 
ten days. 

The wind was very variable throughout the day. Be- 
tween 6 and 7 a.m. we were going twelve knots ; between 
7 and 8 only three ; but as we never stop, we manage to 
make up a fair average on the whole. 

At eleven o'clock we had the Communion Service and 
two hymns. At midday the week's work was made up, 
with the following result. Our position was in lat. 1 5 38' S., 
long. 1 1 7 52' W. ; we were 3,057 miles from Valparaiso, — 
1,335 of which had been accomplished since last Sunday, — 
and 1,818 miles from Tahiti. 



»04 CURIOUS INSCRIPTION. 

To-day we were not far from Easter Island, the south- 
ernmost island of Polynesia. Here as in the Ladrones, far 
away in the north-west quarter of the Pacific, most curious 
inscriptions are sometimes found carved in stone. Annexed 
is a photograph taken from one I saw at a later stage of the 
voyage. 

The sails had been flapping, more or less, all day, and 
at the change of the dog-watches, at six o'clock, Tom 
ordered the men aft to stow the mizen. This they had 
scarcely begun to do when a light breeze sprang up, and in 
a few minutes increased to a strong one, before which we 
bowled along at the rate of nine knots. These sudden 

Inscription from Easter Island 

changes are of constant occurrence, and, coming as they do 
without the slightest warning, are quite inexplicable. If 
only we had our old square sails, and our bigger yards and 
topmast, we should have saved a good deal of time 
already ; for one or two knots an hour extra amount to 
from 25 to 50 miles a day, and in a month's run the 
difference would not be far short of 1,500 miles. But we 
heard so much from people in England, who had visited 
these parts, of squalls and hurricanes, that Tom did not 
like to run the risk of being over-sparred, especially with a 
wife and children as passengers. 

Monday, November 20th. — The fore-and-aft sails were 
taken in, as they were doing no good and the square 



ALBATROSSES 20$ 



canvas was drawing. This allowed the mizen-awning to be 
spread, making a pleasant place to sit in and a capital 
playground for the children, who scamper about all day 
long, and do not appear to feel the heat a bit 

Tuesday, November 21st. — Certainly a very hot day. 
We made steady progress under the same canvas as 
yesterday. 

Wednesday, November 22nd. — Between 2 and 3 a.m. a 
nice breeze sprang up, and between 3 and 4.30 a.m. all 
the fore-and-aft sails were again set It was deliciously 
cool on deck at that time ; but the sun rose fierce 
and hot, and more or less killed the breeze as the day 
wore on. 

Thursday, November 23rd. — Twenty-four days out. We 
had hoped to reach Tahiti to-day, and Tom begins to 
regret that he did not steam some distance out from Val- 
paraiso, so as to pick up the trades sooner. Still it is 
satisfactory to know how well the ' Sunbeam ' can and does 
sail against light contrary winds, and to have an oppor- 
tunity of developing some of her good points, of which we 
were previously hardly aware. How she manages to slip 
along as she does, four or five knots an hour, with not 
sufficient wind to blow a candle out, is a marvel to every 
one on board. More than once, when the hand-log has 
shown that we were going five knots, I have carried a naked 
light from one end of the deck to the other without its being 
extinguished. 

The sunrise was magnificent, and a splendid albatross, 
the largest we have yet seen, was at the same time visible 
in mid-air, floating against the rose-coloured clouds. He 
looked so grand, and calm, and majestic, that one could 
almost fancy him the bird of Jove himself, descending 
direct from the sun. Where do these birds rest ? How far 
and how fast do they really fly? are questions for the 
naturalist We have seen them many times at a distance 
of at least two thousand miles from the nearest land. 



206 A STRANGE CAPTIVE. 

About nine o'clock there was a slight breeze, but it fell 
as the sun rose, and the day was intensely hot. 

Friday, November 24th. — A fine breeze in the early 
morning, which, however, gradually died away. Having 
now quitted the regular track of the trade winds and got 
into the variables, we lighted fires at two o'clock. Then 
another light breeze sprang up for a few minutes, only to 
fall away again immediately, and at six o'clock we com- 
menced to steam. 

Saturday, November 2$th. — A very wet morning, the 
sky clearing at about ten, but the weather remaining dull, 
heavy, hot, and oppressive, throughout the day. But we 
were making good progress under steam, which rendered 
the state of things more endurable than it would otherwise 
have been. 

Whilst I was standing on deck at night a flying-fish 
flew against my throat and hung there, caught in the lace 
of my dress. He is a pretty specimen, but only his wings 
are to be preserved, for Muriel will have his body for break- 
fast to-morrow. 

Sunday, November 26th. — Our fourth consecutive Sun- 
day at sea, and out of sight of land. At 4 a.m. the sails 
were spread to a good breeze. At 7 we stopped steaming, 
but at 10 the wind again fell light. The Litany was read 
on deck this morning on account of the heat. The obser- 
vations at noon showed that we were in lat. 15 47' S., 
long. 1 3 5 20' W., the distance accomplished during the 
last twenty-four hours being 181 miles. We have now 
made good 4,067 miles from Valparaiso, and are 815 
miles distant from Tahiti. At 5 p.m. we had prayers and 
a sermon, also on deck. It was then almost calm, and at 
eight o'clock we again began steaming, in order to insure 
our making the island of Tatakotoroa, 200 miles off, before 
dark to-morrow. 

Monday, November 2Jth. — I was on deck at 3.30 a.m. 
Everybody on board was more or less excited at the 



BOOBIES. 207 



prospect of making land, after twenty-eight days at sea. 
It was a delicious morning, with a favourable breeze, and 
under steam and sail we progressed at the rate of from 10 
to \\\ knots an hour. Several birds flew on board, 
amongst whom were two boobies, who hovered round us 
and appeared to examine everything with great curiosity, 
especially the little wind-vanes at the extremity of the 
masts. At last they settled on the foretopmast, where- 
upon one of the sailors went up to try and catch them. 
They observed his movements closely, and appeared to be 
specially interested in his cap ; but as he approached, first 
one and then the other flew away for a few yards, and 
then returned to his former position. At last the man, 
watching his opportunity, managed to seize one of them 
by his legs and bring him down in triumph, despite flapping 
wings and pecks from a sharp beak. He was shut up in 
the fowl-pen — now, alas, empty of its proper denizens — 
where we had an opportunity of examining him before he 
was killed. He was a fine, handsome, grey bird, with large 
blue eyes, and a wild hawk -like look. 

At one o'clock we were almost sailing over the spot 
marked by Findlay as the situation of Tatakotopoto, or 
Anonymous Island ; but there was nothing whatever 
visible in the shape of land, even from the masthead, where 
a man was stationed, and from which it was possible to see 
a distance of ten or fifteen miles. Tom went up himself 
several times and scanned the horizon carefully, but in 
vain. It is therefore evident either that the position of the 
island is incorrectly stated, or that it has become sub- 
merged. I believe that in these seas there are many 
islands marked that have no existence, and that several 
that do exist are not marked, which renders it necessary 
to keep a constant good look-out. What a charming task 
it would be thoroughly to survey these parts, and to correct 
the present charts where necessary, and how much I should 
like to be one of the officers appointed for the service 1 



«o8 



A CORAL ISLAND. 



At 1.30 p.m. land was sighted from the mast-head, and 
at two o'clock I saw from the deck what looked like plumes 
of dark ostrich feathers rising from the sea. This was the 
island of Tatakotoroa — also known as Narcissus, or Clarke 
Island— to the eastward of the Paumotu or Low Archipelago 
of the South Seas. The sailing directions describe the 
inhabitants as ' hostile,' and Sir Edward Belcher mentions 
that some of them tried to cut off the boats sent from 
a man-of-war for water. We were therefore afraid to 
attempt a landing, but sailed as near as we could to the 




Tatakotoroa or Clarke Island. 

shore, which, surrounded by a rampart of snow-white coral, 
and clothed almost to the water's edge with feathery palms, 
cocoa-nut trees, and luxuriant vegetation of various kinds, 
looked very tempting. A few canoes were drawn up on 
the beach near a large hut, out of which three or four 
natives came, and, having looked at us for some time, ran 
off into the woods. Blue smoke could be seen curling 
up from several points of the forest, no doubt indicating 
the presence of more natives, whose dwellings were con- 
cealed bv the trees. 



A NOVEL PERCH. 



309 



After lunch, Tom had me 
hoisted up to the foretopmast- 
head in a 'boatswain's chair/ 
which is simply a small plank, 
suspended by ropes at the four 
corners, and used by the men 
to sit on when they scrape the 
masts. I was very carefully 
secured with a rope tied round 
my petticoats, and, knocking 
against the various ropes on my 
way, was then gently hoisted up 
to what seemed at first a giddy 
height ; but when once I got ac- 
customed to the smallness of the 
seat, the airiness of my perch, 
and the increased roll of the 
vessel, I found my position by 
no means an unpleasant one. 
Tom climbed up the rigging and 
joined me shortly afterwards. 
From our elevated post we could 
see plainly the formation of the 
island, and the lagoon in the 
centre, encir- 
cled by a band 
of coral, in 
some places 
white, bare, 
and narrow, 
in others wide 
and covered 
with palm- 
trees and rich 
vegetation ; it 
was moreover 




Going up the Mast in a Choib 




Children looking up. 



INTERESTED SPECTATORS. 



possible to understand better the theory of the formation 
of these coral islands. I was so happy up aloft that I did 
not care to descend ; and it was almost as interesting to 
observe what a strange and disproportioned appearance 
everything and everybody on board the yacht presented 
from my novel position, as it was to examine the island 
we were passing. The two younger children and the dogs 
took the greatest interest in my aerial expedition, and never 
ceased calling to me and barking, until I was once more 
let down safely into their midst. As soon as we had seen 
all we could of the island, fires were banked, and we pro- 
ceeded under sail alone throughout the evening and night 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS. 

And all throughout the air thtre reigned the sens* 
Of waking dream with luscious thoughts o er laden, 
Of joy too conscious made and too intense 
By the swift advent of excessive Aiden, 
Bewilderment of beauty's affluence. 

Tuesday, November 2%th. — We passed Anaa, or Chain 
Island, in the morning watch, before daybreak. I came 
on deck to try and get a glimpse of it, and was rewarded 
by a glorious sunrise. We had a nice eight-knot breeze 
and a strong current in our favour, and just before break- 
fast Tom descried from the masthead Amanu, or Moller 
Island, which we had hardly expected to make before ten 
or eleven o'clock. Some one remarked that it seemed 
almost as if it had come out to meet us. The reef encir- 
cling this island varies much in height and vegetation. In 
some places it supports a noble grove of trees, in others 
the sea breaks over the half-submerged coral-bed, the 
first obstacle it has met for 4,000 miles, with a roar like 
thunder. 

Before we had lost sight of Amanu, the island of Hao 
Harpe, or Bow Island, was visible on our port bow. I 
wished very much to land, and at last persuaded Tom, 
who was rather anxious on the score of the natives, to 
allow some of us to make the attempt, us cautioning to 
turn away from the shore directly, in case the islanders 
looked at all doubtful in their attitude and intentions. After 
lunch, therefore, we hove to, and the gig's crew were 



PREPARATIONS FOR LANDING. 



ordered to arm themselves with revolvers and rifles, which 
they were not to show unless required to do so. All the 
gentlemen had revolvers, and Mabelle and I were also pro- 
vided with two small ones, Phillips and Muriel being the 
only unarmed members of the party. I took a bag full 
of beads, knives, looking-glasses, and pictures, for barter 
and presents, and with these preparations we set off to 
make our first personal acquaintance with the islanders of 
the South Pacific. Tom gave us a tow to windward, and 
we then rowed direct to a point on one side of the entrance 
to the lagoon, where we saw some natives waving some- 
thing white. As we approached we could distinguish 
several figures standing on the point, under the shade cf 
some cocoa-nut trees, and on the opposite side of the en- 
trance some canoes were drawn up on the beach, by the 
side of a hut, close to a large clump of low trees. We 
were by this time surrounded by breakers, and it required 
no little skill to steer the boat safely through the broken 
water, between the race of the tide on one side, and the 
overfall from the coral reef on the other. It was success- 
fully done, however, and, having rounded the point, we 
found ourselves at once in the waters of the tranquil lagoon. 
We should have preferred to land at the point, had it been 
possible, as it was doubtful whether it would be safe to go 
round the corner, and so lose sight of the yacht ; but the 
intentions of the natives seemed peaceable, several of them 
running into the water up to their waists to meet us, while 
others could be seen hurrying along the beach, the women 
carrying what looked like bunches of fruit. 

It is really impossible to describe the beauty of the 
scene before us. Submarine coral forests, of every colour, 
studded with sea-flowers, anemones, and echinidae, of a 
brilliancy only to be seen in dreamland, shoals of the 
brightest and swiftest fish darting and flashing in and out ; 
shells, every one of which was fit to hold the place of 
honour in a conchologist's collection, moving slowly along 



SOUTH SEA ISLANDERS. 213 

with their living inmates : this is what we saw when we 
looked down, from the side of the boat, into the depths 
below. The surface of the water glittered with every 
imaginable tint, from the palest aquamarine to the bright- 
est emerald, from the pure light blue of the turquoise to 
the deep dark blue of the sapphire, and was dotted here 
and there with patches of red, brown, and green coral, rising 
from the mass below. Before us, on the shore, there spread 
the rich growth of tropical vegetation, shaded by palms 
and cocoa-nuts, and enlivened by the presence of native 
women in red, blue, and green garments, and men in motley 
costumes, bringing fish, fowls, and bunches of cocoa-nuts, 
borne, like the grapes brought back from the land of Ca- 
naan by the spies, on poles. 

As soon as we touched the shore the men rushed for- 
ward to meet us, and to shake hands, and, having left the 
muskets and revolvers judiciously out of sight in the boat, 
we were conducted to a cluster of huts, made of branches, 
or rather leaves, of the palm-tree, tied by their foot- stalks 
across two poles, and hanging down to the ground. Here 
we were met by the women and children, who, likewise, all 
went through the ceremony of shaking hands with us, after 
which the head-woman, who was very good-looking, and 
was dressed in a cherry-coloured calico gown, with two 
long plaits of black hair hanging down her back, spread a 
mat for me to sit upon just outside the hut. By this time 
there was quite a little crowd of people assembled round, 
amongst whom I noticed one woman with a baby, who 
had her hair sticking straight out all round her head, and 
another who held a portion of her dress constantly before 
her face. After the gentlemen had walked away she re- 
moved the cloth, and I then saw that her nose had been 
cut off. Most of the women were good-looking, with dark 
complexions and quantities of well-greased, neatly-plaited 
black hair, but we did not see a single young girl, though 
there were plenty of children and babies, and lots of boys, 



214 



HOSPITABLE NATIVES. 



the latter of whom, like some of the older women, had 
only a piece of palm matting round their loins. We there- 
fore came to the conclusion that the girls must have been 
sent away intentionally when the approach of the yacht 
was observed. 

As soon as I was seated, tht head-woman told one of 
the men to knock down some cocoa-nuts from the trees 
close by, and after cutting off the ends she offered us a 




3S& 

Our First Landing in the South Pacific, Hao op Botw Island. 

drink of the fresh cool milk, which was all the sweeter and 
better for the fact that the nuts were not nearly ripe. 
While this was going on, the natives brought piles of cocoa- 
nuts, fish, and fowls, and laid them at our feet as a present. 
Some of the fish were of a dark brown colour, like bream,, 
others were long and thin, with a pipe-like nose and four 
fins, somewhat resembling the wings of a flying-fish. 



ISLAND COSTUMES. 215 

Seeing smoke in the distance, rising from under some 
high palm-trees, we thought we should like to go and see 
whence it proceeded, and accordingly set off to walk 
through a sort of bush, over sharp coral that cut one's boots 
terribly, the sun blazing down upon us fiercely all the time, 
until we reached a little settlement, consisting of several 
huts, the inhabitants of which were absent. Fine plaited 
mats for beds, cocoa-nut shells for cups, mother-of-pearl 
shells for plates, and coral, of various kinds and shapes, 
for dishes and cooking utensils, formed their only furni- 
ture. We saw three women, one very old, with nothing 
but a palm-leaf mat as a covering, the others dressed in 
the apparently universal costume, consisting of a long 
bright-coloured gown, put into a yoke at the shoulders, and 
flowing thence loosely to the ground, which completely 
conceals the wearer's form, even to the tips of her toes. 1 
think these dresses must come from England or America, 
for they are evidently machine-made, and the cotton-stuff 
of which they are composed has the most extraordinary 
patterns printed on it I ever saw. Cherry and white, dark 
blue and yellow or white stripes, red with yellow spots, 
and blue with yellow crosses, appear to be the favourite 
designs. The women seemed gentle and kind, and were 
delighted with some beads, looking-glasses, and knives I 
gave them, in return for which they brought us quan- 
tities of beautiful shells. 

We saw the large iron knee of a vessel in one spot during 
our walk, and wondered how it came there. In another place 
we saw a canoe in process of construction, ingeniously made 
of boards, sewed together with plaited palm-leaves. The 
canoes in use here are very high, long, and narrow, and 
are only kept from upsetting by means of a tremendous 
outrigger, consisting of a log fastened to the extremity 
of two bent pieces of wood, projecting sideways from each 
end of the boat. The only animals we met with in our 
ramble were four pigs and a few chickens, and no other 



ai6 NATIVE IMPLEMENTS. 

live stock of any kind was visible. No attempt seemed to 
be made at the cultivation of the ground ; and I think, if 
there had been, we must have observed it, for our party 
separated and walked a good distance in various directions. 

The natives made us understand that on the other side 
of the entrance to the lagoon, in the better sort of house 
we had noticed, there resided a white man. He did not, 
however, make his appearance during our visit, and I 
imagine he must have been one of those individuals called 
' beach-combers,' referred to in so many of the books that 
treat of the South Sea Islands,— a sort of ne'er-do-well 
Englishman or American, rather afraid of meeting any of 
his own countrymen, but very clever at making a bargain 
between a ship's crew and the natives, with considerable 
profit to himself. 

Among the bushes we found numbers of large hermit- 
crabs, crawling, or rather running, about in whelk shells, 
half a dozen of them occasionally having a grand fight 
amongst themselves. We picked up at least twenty dif- 
ferent sorts of gracefully shaped pieces of coral, and quan- 
tities of shells of an infinite variety of form and colour ; 
cowries, helmet-shells, the shells from which cameos are 
sometimes cut, mother-of-pearl shells, and a large spiral 
univalve, nearly a foot long, with dark brown spots and 
stripes on a delicate cream-coloured ground, like the skin 
of a tiger or leopard. On our way back to the huts we 
peeped into several of the canoes drawn up on the beach, 
in which were some fish-spears and a fish-hook, nearly 
three inches long, made of solid mother-of-pearl, the natural 
curve of the shell from which it was cut being preserved. 
A piece of b®ne was securely fastened to it by means of 
some pig's hair, but there was no bait, and it seems that 
the glitter of the mother-of-pearl alone serves as a sufficient 
allurement to the fish. 

In nearly all accounts of voyages in the South Seas 
much space is devoted to the description of the purchase, 



GRACEFUL MANNERS. 2\T 

or rather barter, of hogs. We thought we could not do 
better than follow as far as possible the example of our 
predecessors, and accordingly bought two little pigs for two 
shillings each. They were evidently quite pets, lying on 
the mats outside the huts, and coming when called, just 
like dogs. The one I first bought appeared to be quite 
happy and content to be carried under my arm. The 
natives seemed quite to understand the value of money, 
and did not hesitate to ask for it in return for the cocoa- 
nuts full of shells which they brought us. I fancy some 
of the Tahiti schooners trade here for pearl, shells, and 
beche-de-mer. 

The cocoa-nuts, fowls, fish, coral, &c, having been put 
into our boat, we shook hands with the friendly islanders 
and embarked, and having rounded the point we soon found 
ourselves again in the broken water outside the lagoon, 
where the race of the tide and the overfall were now much 
more violent than they had been when we landed. If we 
had once been drawn into the current, we should have stood 
a good chance of being knocked to pieces on the coral 
reefs, strong as our boat was ; but the danger was happily 
avoided, and we reached the yacht safely, much to Tom's- 
relief. 

The natives did not exhibit the slightest curiosity about 
us during our visit to the island, and though they received 
us with courtesy, and assisted us as far as they could on 
our arrival and departure, they did not follow us about 
while on shore, nor, with the exception of one or two or 
them, did they take the trouble to walk across the point to- 
see us get into the open sea and join the yacht. In this 
respect they might have given a lesson to many civilised 
people, so gentle, genial, and graceful, yet dignified, were 
their manners. 

The screw having been feathered and the sails set, our 
voyage was at once resumed. A few miles from where we had 
landed, we saw, high and dry on the coral reef skirting the: 



ai8 OUR LITTLE PIG. 

iisland, a large square-built schooner, of about 500 tons, her 
masts gone, her hull bleached white by the sun, and a great 
hole in her side. She was on the inside of the reef, and 
must therefore either have drifted there from the lagoon, or 
else have been lifted bodily across by one of the big Pacific 
rollers, in some terrible storm. No doubt the iron knee we 
had seen on the island originally formed part of this vessel. 

Wednesday, November 2tyh. — We seem to have got into 
the real south-east trades, just as the chart tells us we ought 
to expect to lose them ; for there was a strong fair breeze 
all day, which made it very pleasant on deck in the shade 
•of the sails. But it was exceedingly hot in the saloon, 
where some of the woodwork has been pulled down, in 
order to secure better ventilation for the galley and the 
berths of some of the men, who, I hope, appreciate the 
alteration, for it is a source of considerable discomfort to us. 

We had the bigger of our two little pigs for dinner to- 
day, and a welcome change it was from the salt and potted 
meats. He was most excellent, and fully corroborated 
Captain Cook's statement as to the superiority of South 
Sea Island pork to any other — a fact which is doubtless 
due to the pigs being fed entirely on cocoa-nuts and bread- 
fruit. Still it seemed a pity to eat such a tame creature, 
and I mean to try and preserve the other one's life, unless 
we are much longer than we expect in reaching Tahiti. 
He is only about ten inches long, but looks at least a 
jhundred years old, and is altogether the most quaint, old- 
fashioned little object you ever saw. He has taken a great 
fancy to the dogs, and trots about after me with them 
everywhere, on the tips of his little toes, even up and down 
the steep cabin stairs. I call him Agag, because he walks 
so delicately, whilst others accost him as Beau, not only 
on account of his elegant manners, but as being the name 
*£>f his former home. 

The moon was more brilliant this evening than we have 
yet seen her during our voyage, and we could enjoy sitting 



A DIFFICULT LANDING. 219 

on deck reading, and even doing some coarse needlework, 
without any other light. One splendid meteor flashed 
across the sky. It was of a light orange colour, with 
a fiery tail about two degrees in extent, and described in 
its course an arc of about sixty degrees, from S.S.E. to 
N.N.W., before it disappeared into space, far above the 
horizon. If the night had been darker, the spectacle 
would have been finer ; but even as it was, the moon 
seemed quite paled for a few minutes afterwards. We 
have seen many meteors, falling-stars, and shooting-stars 
since we left Valparaiso, but none so fine as the one 
this evening. 

Friday, December 1st. — The sun rose grandly, but the 
heavy black and red clouds, looking like flames and smoke 
from a furnace, gave promise of more rain. The heat was 
greater to-day than any we have yet felt ; and it is now 
nearly mid-winter at home. 

At 5 a.m. we made the island of Maitea, and expected 
to reach it in about an hour and a half; but the wind fell 
light, and it was a quarter to ten before we got into the gig 
and set out for the shore. There are not many instructions 
about landing, either in Captain Cook or Find lay, but the 
latter mentions that houses are to be found on the south 
side of the island. We thought, however, we could distin- 
guish from the yacht a little cove, close to some huts, at 
another part of the shore, where the surf did not break so 
heavily. We accordingly rowed straight for it, and as we 
approached we could see the natives coming down from all 
parts to meet us, the women dressed in the same sort of 
long, bright, flowing garments we had seen at Hao Harpe, 
with the addition of garlands round their necks and heads, 
the men wearing gay-coloured loin-cloths, shirts of Man- 
chester cotton stuff, flying loose in the wind, and sailors' 
hats with garlands round them, or coloured silk handker- 
chiefs — red and orange evidently having the preference — 
tied over their heads and jauntily knotted on one side. 



AMIDST THE SURF. 



Several of the men waded out into the surf to meet us, 
sometimes standing on a rock two feet above the water, 
sometimes buried up to their necks by a sudden wave. 
But the rocks were sharp, the only available passage was 
narrow, and the rollers long and high ; and altogether it 
looked, upon a closer inspection, too unpromising a place 
to attempt a landing. Much to the disappointment of the 
natives, therefore, we decided to go round and try the other 
side of the island. Seeing us prepare to depart, the people 
on shore immediately launched a tiny canoe, with an enor- 
mous outrigger, and a man dressed in a pale green shirt. 




dark blue and yellow under garment, and with a silk hand- 
kerchief and garland on his head, came alongside and made 
signs that he would take us ashore one by one in his frail- 
looking craft. But the heavy Pacific rollers and the sharp 
rocks daunted us, and we declined his offer with thanks, 
and rowed off to the southward. Anything more enticing 
than the cove we were quitting can hardly be imagined. 
A fringe of cocoa-nuts and bread-fruit trees, overhanging 
an undergrowth of bright glossy foliage and flowers, a few 
lialMiidden palm-leaf covered huts, from one of which — I 



AN UNPLEASANT CIRCUIT. 



suppose the chief's — a tattered Tahitian flag floated in the 
breeze, a small schooner drawn up among the trees and 
carefully covered with mats, the steep sugar-loaf point, at 
the entrance to the cove, clothed to its summit with grass 
and vegetation : these were the objects which attracted our 
attention in our hurried survey of the scene. 

We had to give the island a wide berth in rowing round 
it, on account of the heavy rollers, which seemed to come 
from every side, breaking in surf against the dark brown 
cliffs, and throwing columns of white spray, from which the 



Our Boatman. 

brilliant sunshine was reflected in rainbow hues, high into 
the air. As we proceeded matters looked worse and worse, 
and the motion of the boat became so disagreeable that both 
Muriel and I were very ill. At last we came to a spot 
where we could see some people sitting on the shore, and 
several others, who had probably come over from the other 
side to meet us, running swiftly down the sides of the cliffs 
to the beach. The island was of a different character from 
the one we had ahead)' visited, and was evidently of vol- 
canic origin. No coral was anywhere to be seen, but there 



WE LAND AT LAST. 



were big rocks jutting out at intervals into the sea all round 
it, one of which seemed large enough to afford us a sort of 
shelter in landing. The natives waved and pointed towards 
the channel beyond this rock, and one or two swam out to 
meet us ; but we soon found that the channel would not be 
wide enough to admit our big boat, though it was no doubt 
sufficient for a light canoe, drawing some two inches of 
water. We therefore reluctantly turned away and resumed 
our uneasy coasting voyage, in the course of which we 
passed some nearly leafless trees, full of white patches, too 
large for flowers, which afterwards turned out to be booby- 
birds, who here find a resting-place. They are so numerous 
that it is hardly possible to walk beneath the trees without 
treading on their eggs. 

Having completed the circuit of the island, we found 
ourselves once more opposite the spot where we had first 
thought of landing, and the tide being by thjs time a little 
higher, we decided to make another attempt. Some of the 
natives, seeing us approach, plunged into the water as 
before, and seized the gunwale of the boat, while others, 
on shore, brought down rollers to put beneath our keel. 
We went in on the top of a big wave, and thus at last found 
ourselves — boat and all — high and dry on the beach of 
Maitea. 

The people came down to meet us, and conducted us 
to the house of the chief, who, with his pretty wife, received 
us kindly, but with much gravity and dignity. Mats were 
placed for me to sit upon, wreaths were offered me for my 
head and neck, and cocoa-nut milk to drink. We wished 
for some bananas, and they immediately cut down a tree 
in order to obtain a bunch. Cocoa-nuts were at the same 
time thrown down from the trees, and a collection of fruit, 
poultry, and meat — the latter consisting of the immemorial 
hog— was laid at our feet, as a present from the chief. The 
rest of the natives brought us pearls, shells, mother-of- 
pearl, small canoes, fish-hooks, young boobies, and all sorts 



PUZZLED NATIVES. 223 

of things, for barter ; but the chiei nimself refused any 
return for his gift. Perhaps the greatest curiosity they 
offered us was about six fathoms of fine twine, made from 
human hair. Before these islands were visited by Euro- 
peans, this was the material from whicn fishing-lines were 
made ; but it is now rarely used, and is consequently very 
difficult to procure. The young boobies they brought us 
looked just like a white powder-puff, and were covered with 
down far thicker and softer than any swan's down I ever 
saw. 

The natives seemed quite aa fait in the matter of mone- 
tary transactions and exchanges. For an English sovereign 
they would give you change at the rate of five dollars. 
Chilian or United States' dollars they accepted readily, but 
Brazilian currency they would not look at. They were 
pleased with knives, beads, looking-glasses, and picture 
papers I had brought on shore, and we did a Drisk trade. 
We experienced great difficulty in explaining to them that 
we wanted some fresh eggs, Muriel's especial fancy, and a 
luxury which we have been without for some time. At 
last, by pointing to the fowls and picking up some small 
egg-shaped stones, we managed to procure a few, though, 
from the time it took to collect them, I should think the 
island must have been scoured in the search for them. 

Most of the natives seemed puzzled to comprehend why 
we had visited the island at all. ' No sell brandy ? ' — ' No.' 
' No stealy men ? ' — ' No.' ' No do what then ? ' Their 
knowledge of English was too limited to enable us to make 
them understand that we were only making a voyage of 
circumnavigation in a yacht. 

It was now time to bid farewell to our amiable hosts 
and their beautiful island. As we reached the landing- 
place, a small schooner, which we had previously noticed 
in the distance, came close to the shore, and a canoe put off 
from the island to meet it. We found that the vessel was 
bringing back from Tahiti and other places some of the 



924 EXCUSES FOR NATIVES. 

inhabitants of the island, who had been away on a visit or 
in search of work. The meeting of the reunited friends 
and relatives was in some cases quite touching. Two 
women, in particular, sat and embraced each other for 
nearly a quarter of an hour, without moving, but with tears 
running down their faces. 

All our gifts and purchases having been placed in the 
boat, and one or two of us having embarked, she was 
shoved out over the wooden rollers into the narrow 
channel, where she lay-to while the rest of the party were 
brought alongside, one by one, in a frail canoe — an opera- 
tion which occupied some time, during which we had 
leisure once more to admire the little bay I have already 
attempted to describe. We asked the captain of the 
schooner, who spoke French, to give us a tow off to the 
yacht, which he willingly consented to do, chatting cheer- 
fully all the time, but evidently fearful of approaching too 
close to the yacht, and positively refusing our invitation to 
him to come on board. There can be little doubt that he 
mistrusted our intentions, and feared we might attempt to 
kidnap him and his crew ; for the whites have, in too many 
cases, behaved in a most villanous manner to the inhabi- 
tants of these islands, who are, as a rule — to which there 
are of course exceptions — a kind and gentle people. I 
think if the many instances of the murder of ships' and 
boats' crews could be thoroughly sifted to the bottom, it 
would be found that most of them were acts of reprisal and 
revenge for brutal atrocities committed on the defenceless 
natives, who have been kidnapped, plundered, and mur- 
dered by unscrupulous traders and adveRturers. Unfor- 
tunately, the good suffer for the bad, and such lives as those 
of Captain Goodenough and Bishop Patteson are sacrificed 
through the unpardonable misconduct of others — perhaps 
their own countrymen. It is still quite a chance how you 
may be received in some of the islands ; for if the visit of 
the last ship was the occasion of the murder, plunder, and 



A PROTECTING REEF. 



ill-treatment of the inhabitants, it is not to be wondered at 
that the next comers should be received with distrust, if 
not with treachery and violence. 

We reached the yacht at four o'clock, rather exhausted 
by so many hours' exposure to the broiling sun, having 
had nothing to eat since breakfast, at 7 a.m., except cocoa- 
nuts and bananas. The ship was put about, the sails filled, 
and, continuing steadily on our course throughout the 
evening, we made the smaller of the two peninsulas that 
form the island of Tahiti at 10.30 p.m. 

Saturday, December 2nd. — We were dodging on and off 
all night, and at daybreak the weather was thick and rainy. 
At 4.30 a.m. we made the land again, and crept slowly 
along it, past Point Venus and the lighthouse in Matavai 
Bay (Captain Cook's first anchorage), until we were off the 
harbour of Papeete. 1 The rain was now descending in tor- 
rents, and we lay-to outside the reef for a short time, until 
a French pilot came on board and took us in through the 
narrow entrance. It was curious, while we were tumbling 
about in the rough sea outside, to see the natives placidly 
fishing in the tiniest of canoes on the lagoon inside the 
reef, the waves beating all the time furiously on the outer 
surface of the coral breakwater, as if anxious to seize and 
engulf them, 

At nine o'clock we were safely anchored in the chief 
port of the island of Tahiti. 

Perhaps I cannot better bring this account of our long 
voyage from Valparaiso to a conclusion than by a quotation 
from a charming book, given to me at Rio, which I have 
lately been reading— Baron de Hubner's 'Promenade 
autour du Monde :' — * Les jours se suivent et se ressemblent. 
Sauf le court episode du mauvais temps, ces trois semaines 
me font l'effet d'un charmant reve, d'un conte de fee, d'une 
promenade imaginaire a travers une salle immense, tout or 
et lapis-lazuli. Pas un moment d'ennui ou d'impatience. 
1 ' Papiete ' or ' Papeete ' a bag of water. 



226 



A LONELY VOYAGE. 



Si vous voulez abreger les longueurs d'une grande traversee, 
distribuez bien votre temps, et observez le reglement que 
vous vous etes impose. C'est un moyen sur de se faire 
promptement a la vie claustrale et meme d'en jouir/ 

We have been five weeks at sea, and have enjoyed them 
quite as much as the Baron did his three. We saw but 
two ships between Valparaiso and Tatakotoroa: he saw 
only one between San Francisco and Yokohama. It is 
indeed a vast and lonely ocean that we have traversed. 




Quarantine Island, Papeete. 



CHAPTER XIV 

AT TAHITI. 

The cava feast, the yam, the cocoa's root, 
Which bears at once the cup, and milk, and fruit. 
The bread-tree which, without the ploughshare, yieldi 
The unreap'd harvest of unfurrowed fields. 

These, with the luxuries of seas and woods. 
The airy joys of social solitudes, 
Tamed each rude wanderer. 



Saturday, December 2nd. — The anchor was dropped in 
the harbour of Papeete at nine o'clock, and a couple of hours 
later, by which time 
the weather had 
cleared, we went 
ashore, and at once 
found ourselves in 
the midst of a fairy- 
like scene, to de- 
scribe which is al- 
most impossible, so 
bewildering is it in 
the brightness and 
variety of its colour- 
ing. The magnolias 
and yellow and scar- 
let hibiscus, over- 
shadowing the water, the velvety turf, on to which one 
steps from the boat, the white road running between rows 
of wooden houses, whose little gardens are a mass of flowers. 




- toe Trees. Papeete 



228 QUEEN POMARE. 



the men and women clad in the gayest robes and decked 
with flowers, the piles of unfamiliar fruit lying on the grass, 
waiting to be transported to the coasting vessels in the 
harbour, the wide-spreading background of hills clad in 
verdure to their summits — these are but a few of the 
objects which greet the new-comer in his first contact with 
the shore. 

We strolled about, and left our letters of introduction ; 
but the people to whom they were addressed were at break- 
fast, and we were deliberating how best to dispose of our 
time, when a gentleman accosted us, and, seeing how new 
it all was to us strangers, offered to show us round the 
town. 

The streets of Papeete, running back at right angles 
with the beach, seem to have wonderfully grand names, 
such as the Rue de Rivoli, Rue de Paris, &c. Every street 
is shaded by an avenue of high trees, whose branches 
meet and interlace overhead, forming a sort of leafy 
tunnel, through which the sea-breeze passes refreshingly. 
There is also what is called the Chinamen's quarter, 
through which we walked, and which consists of a collec- 
tion of regular Chinese-built bamboo houses, whose occu- 
pants all wore their national costume, pigtail included. 
The French commandant lives in a charming residence, 
surrounded by gardens, just opposite the palace of Queen 
Pomare, who is at present at the island of Bola-Bola, 
taking care of her little grandchild, aged five, the queen of 
the island. She went down in a French man-of-war, the 
' Limier,' ten days ago, and has been obliged to remain, 
owing to some disturbances amongst the natives. I am 
rather disappointed that she is absent, as I should like 
to see a person of whom I have heard so much. 

Having completed our tour, we next went to call on 
the British Consul, who received us kindly, and enter- 
tained us with an interesting account of the island and 
its inhabitants, its pearl-fisheries and trade, the French 



SUBMARINE GARDENS. 229 

policy, the missionaries, &c, on all of which subjects he 
is well informed. He has just completed an exhaustive 
consular report on the condition of the island, which will, 
no doubt, appear in due course in the form of a blue- 
book. 

On our return to Messrs. Brander's office, where we 
had left one of our letters of introduction, we found the 
manager, with whom we had a long chat before returning 
on board. 

At 5 p.m. we went for a row in the ' Glance ' and the 
' Flash ' to the coral reef, now illumined by the rays of 




Chsetodon Tricolor. 



the setting sun. Who can describe these wonderful gar- 
dens of the deep, on which we now gazed through ten and 
twenty fathoms of crystal water ? Who can enumerate or 
describe the strange creatures moving about and darting 
hither and thither, amid the masses of coral forming their 
submarine home ? There were shells of rare shape, brighter 
than if they had been polished by the hand of the most 
skilful artist ; crabs of all sizes, scuttling and sidling along ; 
sea-anemones, spreading their delicate feelers in search of 
prey ; and many other kinds of zoophytes, crawling slowly 
over the reef ; and scarlet, blue, yellow, gold, violet, spotted. 



230 FISHING BY TORCHLIGHT. 

striped, and winged fish, short, long, pointed, and blunt, 
of the most varied shapes, were darting about like birds 
among the coral trees. 

At last, after frequent stoppages, to allow time for ad- 
miration, we reached the outer reef, hauled the boat up and 
made her fast, and, in bathing shoes, started on a paddling 
expedition. Such a paddle it was, too, over the coral, the 
surf breaking far above our heads, and the underflow, though 
only a few inches deep, nearly carrying me and the chil- 
dren off our legs ! There were one or two native fishermen 
walking along the reef, whipping the water ; but they ap- 
peared to have caught only a few small rock-fish, pretty 
enough to look at, but not apparently good to eat. 

The shades of night compelled us to return to the yacht, 
laden with corals of many different species. After dinner 
the bay was illuminated by the torches of the native fisher- 
men, in canoes, on the reef. Tom and I went to look at 
them, but did not see them catch anything. Each canoe 
contained at least three people, one of whom propelled the 
boat, another stood up waving about a torch dipped in some 
resinous substance, which threw a strong light on the water, 
while the third stood in the bows, armed with a spear, 
made of a bundle of wires, tied to a long pole, not at all 
unlike a gigantic egg-whip, with all its loops cut into points. 
This is aimed with great dexterity at the fish, who are 
either transfixed or jammed between the prongs. The fine 
figures of the natives, lighted up by the flickering torches, 
and standing out in bold relief against the dark blue star- 
lit sky, would have served as models for the sculptors of 
ancient Greece. 

Sunday, December $rd. — At a quarter to five this morn- 
ing some of us landed to see the market, this being the 
great day when the natives come in from the country and 
surrounding villages, by sea and by land, in boats, or on 
horseback, to sell their produce, and buy necessaries for 
the coming week. We walked through the shady streets 



A PARADISE OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS. 231 

to the two covered market buildings, partitioned across 
with great bunches of oranges, plantains, and many- 
coloured vegetables, hung on strings. The mats, beds, and 
pillows still lying about suggested the idea that the sales- 
men and women had passed the night amongst their 
wares. The gaily attired, good-looking, fiower-decorated 
crowd, of some seven or eight hundred people, all chatting 
and laughing, and some staring at us — but not rudely— - 
looked much more like a chorus of opera-singers, dressed 
for their parts in some grand spectacle, than ordinary 
market-going peasants. Whichever way one turned, the 
prospect was an animated and attractive one. Here, 
beneath the shade of large, smooth, light-green banana 
leaves, was a group of earnest bargainers for mysterious- 
looking fish, luscious fruit, and vegetables ; there, sheltered 
by a drooping mango, whose rich clusters of purple and 
orange fruit hung in tempting proximity to lips and hands, 
another little crowd was similarly engaged. Orange-trees 
were evidently favourite rendezvous ; and a row of flower- 
sellers had established themselves in front of a hedge 
of scarlet hibiscus and double Cape jasmine. Every 
vendor carried his stock-in-trade, however small the articles 
composing it might be, on a bamboo pole, across his 
shoulder, occasionally with rather ludicrous effect, as, for 
instance, when the thick but light pole supported only a 
tiny fish six inches long at one end, and two mangoes at 
the other. Everybody seemed to have brought to market 
just what he or she happened to have on hand, however 
small the quantity. The women would have one, two, or 
three new-laid eggs in a leaf basket, one crab or lobster, 
three or four prawns, or one little trout Under these cir- 
cumstances, marketing for so large a party as ours was 
a somewhat lengthy operation, and I was much amused 
in watching our provcedor, as he went about collecting 
things by ones and twos, until he had piled a little cart 
quite full, and had had it pushed off to the shady qua-. 



2 3 2 



THE QUEEN'S BROTHER. 



We strolled about until six o'clock, at which hour the 
purchasers began to dispeise, and were just preparing to 
depart likewise, when an old man, carrying half-a-dozen 
little fish, and followed by a small boy laden with vege- 
tables and fruit, introduced himself to us as the brother-in- 
law of Queen Pomare IV. and chief of Papeete, and, after 
a short talk, invited us to visit him at his house. We con- 
sented, and, following him, presently reached a break in the 
hedge and ditch that ran along the side of the road, beyond 
which was a track, bordered by pineapples and dracaenas, 
leading to a superior sort of house, built in the native style, 

and surrounded, as usual, 
by bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, 
banana, mango, and guava 
trees. We were conducted 
into the one large room, 
which contained two four- 
post bedsteads and four 
mattresses, laid on the floor, 
||. two or three trunks, and 
_ X' a table in the corner, on 
which were writing mate- 
rials and a few books. 
The chief himself spoke a 
very little English, his son 
an equally small amount of French ; so the conversation 
languished, and after a decent interval we rose to depart 
Our host asked if he might ' come and see my ship,' and 
procured pen, ink, and paper — not of the best quality 
— for me to write an order for him do so, ' in case lady 
not at home.' He also presented me with some pictures 
of soldiers, drawn by his son— a boy about eleven years 
old, of whom he seemed very proud, and expressed his 
regret that we could not prolong our stay, at the same 
time placing at our disposal the whole house and garden, 
including a fat sow and eleven little pigs. 







CkaBtodcm Plagmance, 



A NATIVE CHURCH. 233 

Several other visitors had arrived by this time, one of 
whom was on horseback, and, as I was rather tired, he was 
asked if he would kindly allow me to ride down to the land- 
ing place. He replied that he would lend the horse to a 
gentleman, but not to me, as the saddle was not suitable. 
I explained that this made no difference to me, and 
mounted, though I did not attempt to follow the fashion 
of the native ladies here, who ride like men. Our new 
friend was quite delighted at this, and volunteered himself 
to show us something of the neighbourhood. Accordingly, 
leading my — or rather his — horse, and guiding him care- 
fully over all the rough places, he took us through groves 
and gardens to the grounds belonging to the royal family, 
in which were plantations of various kinds of trees, and 
a thick undergrowth of guava. After an enjoyable little 
expedition we returned to the yacht at about half-past 
seven, accompanied by the small boy who had been canying 
our special purchases from the market all this time, and by 
' a little tail of followers. 

At half-past eight we breakfasted, so as to be ready for 
the service at the native church at ten o'clock ; but several 
visitors arrived in the interval, and we had rather a bustle 
to get off in time, after all. We landed close to the church, 
under the shade of an hibiscus, whose yellow and orange 
flowers dropped off into the sea and floated away amongst 
the coral rocks, peeping out of the water here and there. 
The building appeared to be full to overflowing. The 
windows and doors were all wide open, and many members 
of the congregation were seated on the steps, on the lawn, 
' and on the grassy slope beyond, listening to a discourse in 
the native language. Most of the people wore the native 
costume, which, especially when made of black stuff and 
surmounted by a little sailor's hat, decorated with a 
bandana handkerchief or a wreath of flowers, was very 
becoming. Sailors' hats are universally worn, and are 
generally made by the natives themselves from plantain 



234 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 

or palm leaves, or from the inside fibre of the arrowroot. 
Some rather elderly men and women in the front rows were 
taking notes of the sermon. I found afterwards that they 
belonged, to the Bible class, and that their great pride was 
to meet after the service and repeat by heart nearly all they 
had heard. This seems to show at least a desire to profit 
by the minister's efforts. 

After the usual service there were two christenings. 
The babies were held at the font by the men, who looked 
extremely sheepish. One baby was grandly attired in a 
book-muslin dress, with flounces, a tail at least six feet 
long dragging on the ground, and a lace cap with cherry- 
coloured bows ; the other was nearly as smart, in a white- 
worked long frock and cap, trimmed with blue bows. The 
christenings over, there was a hymn, somewhat monotonous 
as to time and tune, but sung with much fervour, followed 
by the administration of the sacrament, in which cocoa-nut 
milk took the place of wine, and bread-fruit that of bread. 
The proper elements were originally used, but experience 
proved that, although the bread went round pretty well, the 
cup was almost invariably emptied by the first two or three 
communicants, sometimes with unfortunate results. 

After service we drove through the shady avenues of 
the town into the open country, past trim little villas and 
sugar-cane plantations, until we turned off the main road, 
and entered an avenue of mangoes, whence a rough road, 
cut through a guava thicket, leads to the main gate of 
Faataua ' — a regular square Indian bungalow, with thatched 
roofs, verandahs covered with creepers, windows opening 
to the ground, and steps leading to the gardens on every 
side, ample accommodation for stables, kitchens, servants, 
being provided in numerous outbuildings. 

Soon after breakfast, Mrs. Brander dressed me in one 
of her own native costumes, and we drove to the outskirts 
of a dense forest, through which a footpath leads to the 

1 ' Fuatawah ' or ' Faataua,' to make friends. 



THE WATERFALL. 



235 



waterfall and fort of Faataua. Here we found horses 
waiting for us, on which we rode, accompanied by the 
gentlemen on foot, through a thick growth of palms, 
orange-trees, guavas, and other tropical trees, some of which 
were overhung and almost choked by luxuriant creepers. 
Specially noticeable among the latter was a gorgeous purple 




■mm™ 



' atertou at 



passion-flower, with orange-coloured fruit as big as pump- 
kins, that covered everything with its vigorous growth. The 
path was always narrow and sometimes steep, and we had 
frequently almost to creep under the overhanging boughs, 
or to turn aside to avoid a more than usually dense mass of 
creepers. We crossed several small rivers, and at last 
reached a spot that commanded a view of the waterfall, on 



236 A LAST STRONGHOLD. 

the other side of a deep ravine. Just below the fort that 
crowns the height, a river issues from a narrow cleft in the 
rock, and falls at a single bound from the edge of an almost 
perpendicular cliff, 600 feet high, into the valley beneath. 
First one sees the rush of blue water, gradually changing 
in its descent to a cloud of white spray, which in its turn is 
lost in a rainbow of mist. Imagine that from beneath the 
shade of feathery palms and broad-leaved bananas through 
a network of ferns and creepers you are looking upon the 
Staubbach, in Switzerland, magnified in height, and with a 
background of verdure-clad mountains, and you will have 
some idea of the fall of Faataua as we beheld it. 

After resting a little while and taking some sketches, 
we climbed up to the fort itself, a place of considerable 
interest, where the natives held out to the very last against 
the French. On the bank opposite the fort, the last 
islander killed during the struggle for independence was 
shot while trying to escape. Situated in the centre of a 
group of mountains, with valleys branching off in all 
directions, the fort could hold communication with every 
part of the coast, and there can be little doubt that it would 
have held out much longer than it did, but for the treachery 
o£one of the garrison, who led the invaders, under cover of 
the night, and by devious paths, to the top of a hill com- 
manding the position. Now the ramparts and earthworks 
are overrun and almost hidden by roses. Originally 
planted, I suppose, by the new-comers, they have spread 
rapidly in all directions, till the hill-sides and summits are 
quite a-blush with the fragrant bloom. 

Having enjoyed some strawberries and some icy cold 
water from a spring, and heard a long account of the war 
from the gardiens, we found it was time to commence our 
return journey, as it was now getting late. We descended 
much more quickly than we had come up, but daylight had 
faded into the brief tropical twilight, and that again into 
the shades of night, ere we reached the carriage. 



IS IT DREAMLAND t 7JJ 

Dinner and evening service brought the day to a con- 
clusion, and I retired, not unwillingly, to bed, to dream of 
the charms of Tahiti. 

Sometimes I think that all I have seen must be only a 
long vision, and that too soon I shall awaken to the cold 
reality ; the flowers, the fruit, the colours worn by every 
one, the whole scene and its surroundings, seem almost too 
fairylike to have an actual existence. I am in despair 
when I attempt to describe all these things. I feel that I 
cannot do anything like justice to their merits, and yet 
I fear all the time that what I say may be looked upon as 
an exaggeration. 

Long dreamy lawns, and birds en happy wings, 
Keeping their homes in never-rifled bowers ; 

Cool fountains filling with their murmurings 
The sunny silence 'twixt the chiming hours. 

At daybreak next morning, when I went on deck, it was 
a dead calm. The sea-breeze had not yet come in, and there 
was not a ripple on the surface of the harbour. Outside, 
two little white trading schooners lay becalmed ; inside, 
the harbour-tug was getting up steam. On shore, a few 
gaily dressed natives were hurrying home with their early 
market produce, and others were stretched lazily on the 
grass at the water's edge or on the benches under the 
trees. Our stores for the day, a picturesque-looking heap 
of fish, fruit, vegetables, and flowers, were on the steps, 
waiting to be brought off, and guarded in the meantime by 
natives in costumes of pink, blue, orange, and a delicate 
pale green they specially affect. The light mists rolled 
gradually away from the mountain tops, and there was 
every prospect of a fine day for a projected excursion. 

I went ashore to fetch some of the fresh gathered fruit, 
and soon we had a feast of luscious pineapples, juicy man- 
goes, bananas, and oranges, with the dew still upon them. 
The mango is certainly the king of fruit. Its flavour is a 
combination of apricot and pineapple, with the slightest 



338 A NATURAL VASE. 

possible suspicion of turpentine thrown in, to give a 
piquancy to the whole. 1 dare say it sounds a strange 
mixture, but I can only say that the result is delicious. 
To enjoy mangoes thoroughly you ought not to eat them 
in company, but leaning over the side of the ship, in the 
early moming, with your sleeves tucked up to your elbows, 
using no knife and fork, but tearing off the skin with youi 
teeth, and sucking the abundant juice. 

We breakfasted at half-past six, and, at a little before 
eight, went ashore, where we were met by a sort of char-a- 
bancs, or American wagon, with three seats, one behind 
the other, all facing the horses, and roomy and comfortable 
enough for two persons. Our Transatlantic cousins cer- 
tainly understand thoroughly, and do their best to improve 
everything connected with, the locomotion they love so well. 
A Chinese coachman and a thin but active pair of little 
horses completed the turn-out Mabelle sat beside the 
coachman, and we four packed into the other two seats, 
with ail our belongings. 

The sun was certainly very powerful when we emerged 
from the shady groves of Papeete, but there was a nice 
breeze, and sometimes we got under the shade of cocoa-nut 
trees. We reached Punauia at about half-past nine, and 
changed horses there. While waiting, hot and thirsty, 
under the shelter of some trees, we asked for a cocoa-nut, 
whereupon a man standing by immediately tied a withy of 
banana leaves round his feet and proceeded to climb, or 
rather hop, up the nearest tree, raising himself with his two 
hands and his feet alternately, with an exactly similar action 
to that of our old friend the monkey on the stick. People 
who have tasted the cocoa-nut only in England can have 
no idea what a delicious fruit it really is when nearly ripe 
and freshly plucked. The natives remove the outer husk, 
just leaving a little piece to serve as a foot for the pale 
brown cup to rest on. They then smooth off the top, and 
you have an elesrant vase, something like a. mounted ostrich 



A GRATEFUL BEVERAGE. 239 



egg in appearance, lined with the snowiest ivory, and con- 
taining about three pints of cool sweet water. Why it is 
called milk I cannot understand, for it is as clear as crystal, 
and is always cool and refreshing, though the nut in which it 
is contained has generally been exposed to the fxercest sun. 
In many of the coral islands, where the water is brackish, the 
natives drink scarcely anything but cocoa-nut milk ; and 
even here, if you are thirsty and ask for a glass of water, 
you are almost always presented with a cocoa-nut instead. 

From Punauia onwards the scenery increased in beauty, 
and the foliage was, if possible, more luxuriant than ever. 
The road ran through extensive coffee, sugar-cane, Indian 
corn, orange, cocoa-nut, and cotton plantations, and vanilla, 
carefully trained on bamboos, growing in the thick shade. 
Near Atimaono we passed the house of a great cotton 
planter, and, shortly afterwards, the curious huts, raised on 
platforms, built by some islanders he has imported from 
the Kingsmill group to work his plantations. They are a 
wild, savage-looking set, very inferior to the Tahitians in 
appearance. The cotton-mills, which formerly belonged to 
a company, are now all falling to ruin ; and in many other 
parts of the island we passed cotton plantations uncleaned 
and neglected, and fast running to seed and waste. So long 
as the American war lasted, a slight profit could be made 
upon Tahitian cotton, but now it is hopeless to attempt to 
cultivate it with any prospect of adequate return. 

The sun was now at its height, and we longed to stop 
and bathe in one of the many fresh-water streams we 
crossed, and afterwards to eat our lunch by the wayside ; 
but our Chinese coachman always pointed onwards, and 
said, ' Eatee much presently ; horses eatee too.' At last 
we arrived at a little house, shaded by cocoa-nut trees, and 
built in an enclosure near the sea-shore, with ' Restaurant ' 
written up over the door. We drove in, and were met by 
the proprietor, with what mu?t have been rather an embar- 
rassing multiplicity of women and children about his heels. 



240 PUNISHMENT OF DRUNKARDS. 

The cloth was not laid, but the rooms looked clean, and there 
was a heap of tempting-looking fish and fruit in a corner. 
We assured him we were starving, and begged for luncheon 
as soon as possible ; and, in the meantime, went for a dip in 
the sea. But the water was shallow, and the sun made the 
temperature at least 90 , so that our bath was not very- 
refreshing. On our return we found the table most enticingly- 
laid out, with little scarlet crayfish, embedded in cool green 
lettuce leaves, fruit of various kinds, good wine and fair bread, 
all arranged on a clean though coarse tablecloth. There 
was also a savoury omelette, so good that Tom asked for a 
second ; when, to our astonishment, there appeared a plump 
roast fowl, with most artistic gravy and fried potatoes. 
Then came a biftek aux champignons, and some excellent 
coffee to wind up with. On making the host our compli- 
ments, he said, ' Je fais la cuisine moi-meme, Madame.' In 
the course of our repast we again tasted the bread-fruit, 
but did not much appreciate it, though it was this time 
cooked in the native fashion — roasted underground by 
means of hot stones. 

Our coachman was becoming impatient, so we bade 
farewell to our host, and resumed our journey. We crossed 
innumerable streams on our way, generally full not only 
of water, but also of bathers ; for the Tahitians are very 
fond of water, and always bathe once or twice a day in the 
fresh streams, even after having been in the sea. 

In many places along the road people were making hay 
from short grass, and in others they were weighing it pre- 
paratory to sending it into town. But they say the grass 
grown here is not at all nourishing for horses, and some 
people import it from Valparaiso. 

The road round the island is called the Broom Road. 
Convicts were employed in its original formation, and now 
it is the punishment for any one getting drunk in any part 
of the island to be set to work to sweep, repair, and keep 
in order a piece of the road in the neighbourhood of his 



SAILOR INNKEEPERS. 241 

dwelling. It is the one good road of Tahiti, encircling the 
larger of the two peninsulas close to the sea-shore, and 
surmounting the low mountain range in the centre of the 
isthmus. 

Before long we found ourselves close to Taravao, the 
narrow strip of land connecting the two peninsulas into 
which Tahiti is divided, and commenced to ascend the hills 
that form the backbone of the island. We climbed up and 
up, reaching the summit at last, to behold a magnificent 
prospect on all sides. Then a short sharp descent, a long 
drive over grass roads through a rich forest, and again a 
brief ascent, brought us to our sleeping-quarters for the 
night, the Hotel de l'lsthme, situated in a valley in the 
midst of a dense grove of cocoa-nuts and bananas, kept 
by two retired French sailors, who came out to meet us, 
and conducted us up a flight of steps on the side of a mud 
bank to the four rooms forming the hotel. These were two 
sleeping apartments, a salon, and &salle a manger, the walls 
of which consisted of flat pieces of wood, their own width 
apart, something like Venetian shutters, with unglazed 
windows and doors opening into the garden. 

We walked about four hundred yards along a grassy road 
to the sea, where Mabelle and I paddled about in shallow 
water and amused ourselves by picking up coral, shells, and 
beche-de-mer, and watching the blue and yellow fish darting 
in and out among the rocks, until at last we found a place in 
the coral which made a capital deep-water bath. Dressing 
again was not such a pleasant affair, owing to the mosquitoes 
biting us in the most provoking manner. Afterwards 
we strolled along the shore, which was covered with cocoa- 
nuts and driftwood, washed thither, I suppose, from some 
of the adjacent islands, and on our way back to the hotel 
we gathered a handful of choice exotics and graceful ferns, 
with which to decorate the table. 

The dinner itself really deserves a detailed description, 
if only to show that one may make the tour of Tahiti 



INSECT LIFE, 



without necessarily having to rough it in the matter of food. 
We had crayfish and salad as a preliminary, and next, 
an excellent soup followed by delicious little oysters, that 
cling to the boughs and roots of the guava and man- 
grove trees overhanging the sea. Then came a large fish, 
name unknown, the inevitable bouilli and cabbage, cotelettes 
aux pommes, biftek aux champignons, succeeded by crabs 
and other shellfish, including wurrali, a delicate-flavoured 
kind of lobster, an omelette aux abricots, and dessert of 
tropical fruits. We were also supplied with good wine, 
both red and white, and bottled beer. 

I ought, in truth, to add that the cockroaches were 
rather lively and plentiful, but they did not form a serious 
drawback to our enjoyment. After dinner, however, when 
I went to see Mabelle to bed, hundreds of these creatures, 
about three inches long, and broad in proportion, scuttled 
away as I lighted the candle ; and while we were sitting 
outside we could see troops of them marching up and 
down in rows between the crevices of the walls. Then there 
were the mosquitoes, who hummed and buzzed about us, 
and with whom, alas ! we were doomed to make a closer 
acquaintance. Our bed was fitted with the very thickest 
calico mosquito curtains, impervious to the air, but not to 
the venomous little insects, who found their way in through 
every tiny opening in spite of all our efforts to exclude 
them. 

Tuesday, December $tA. — The heat in the night was 
suffocating, and soon after twelve o'clock we both woke up, 
feeling half-stifled. There was a dim light shining into the 
room, and Tom said, ' Thank goodness, it's getting day- 
light ; ' but on striking my repeater we found to our regret 
that this was a mistake. In the moonlight I could see 
columns of nasty brown cockroaches ascending the bed- 
posts, crawling along the top of the curtains, dropping with 
a thud on to the bed, and then descending over the side 
to the ground. At last I could stand it no longer, and. 



A LIVELY NIGHT. 243 

opening the curtains cautiously, I seized my slippers, 
knocked half-a-dozen brown beasts out of each, wrapped 
myself in a poncho — previously well shaken — gathered my 
garments around me, surmounted a barricade I had con- 
structed overnight to keep the pigs and chickens out of 
our doorless room, and fled to the garden. All was still, 
the only sign of life being a light in a neighbouring hut, 
and I sat out in the open air in comparative comfort, until 
driven indoors again by torrents of rain, at about half- 
past two o'clock. 

I plunged into bed again, taking several mosquitoes 
with me, which hummed and buzzed and devoured us to 
their hearts' content till dawn. Then I got up and walked 
down to the beach to bathe, and returned to breakfast at 
six o'clock, refreshed but still disfigured. 

It is now the depth of winter and the middle of the 
rainy season in Tahiti ; but, luckily for us, it is nearly 
always fine in the daytime. At night, however, there is 
often a perfect deluge, which floods the houses and gardens, 
turns the streams into torrents, but washes and refreshes 
the vegetation, and leaves the landscape brighter and 
greener than before. 

At half-past seven the horses were put to, and we were 
just ready for a start, when down came the rain again, more 
heavily than before. It was some little time before it 
ceased enough to allow us to start, driving along grassy 
roads and through forests, but progressing rather slowly 
owing to the soaked condition of the ground. If you can 
imagine the Kew hot-houses magnified and multiplied to 
an indefinite extent, and laid out as a gentleman's park, 
traversed by numerous grassy roads fringed with cocoa-nut 
palms, and commanding occasional glimpses of sea, and 
beach, and coral reefs, you will have some faint idea of the 
scene through which our road lay. 

Many rivers we crossed, and many we stuck in, the 
gentlemen having more than once to take off their shoes 



244 LAND-CRABS. 



and stockings, tuck up their trousers, jump into the water, 
and literally put their shoulders to the wheel. Sometimes 
we drove out into the shallow sea, till it seemed doubtful 
when and where we should make the land again. Some- 
times we climbed up a solid road, blasted out of the face of 
the black cliffs, or crept along the shore of the tranquil 
lagoon, frightening the land-crabs into their holes as they 
felt the shake of the approaching carriage. Palms and 
passiflora abounded, the latter being specially magnificent. 
It seems wonderful how their thin stems can support, 
at a height of thirty or forty feet from the ground, the 
masses of huge orange-coloured fruit which depend in 
strings from their summits. 

At the third river, not far from where it fell into the 
sea, we thought it was time to lunch ; so we stopped the 
carriage, gave the horses their provender, and sat down to 
enjoy ourselves after our long drive. It was early in the 
afternoon before we started again, and soon after this we 
were' met by fresh horses, sent out from Papenoo ; x so it 
was not long before we found ourselves near Point Venus, 
where we once more came upon a good piece of road, down 
which we rattled to the plains outside Papeete. 

We reached the quay at about seven o'clock, and, our 
arrival having been observed, several friends came to see 
us and to inquire how we had fared. Before we started 
on our excursion, instructions had been given that the 
' Sunbeam ' should be painted white, for the sake of cool- 
ness, and we were all very curious to see how she would 
look in her new dress ; but unfortunately the wet weather 
has delayed the work, and there is still a good deal to do. 

Wednesday, December 6th. — It was raining fast at half- 
past four this morning, which was rather provoking, as I 
wanted to take some photographs from the yacht's deck 
before the sea-breeze sprang up. But the weather cleared 
while I was choosing my position and fixing my camera, 
1 From ' pape,' water, and ' noo,' abundance. 



A TAHITI MAIL SHIP. 245 

and I was enabled to take what I hope may prove to be 
some successful photographs. 

Messrs. Brander's mail-ship, a sailing vessel of about 
600 tons, was to leave for San Francisco at eight o'clock, 
and at seven Tom started in the ' Flash ' to take our letters 
on board. The passage to San Francisco occupies twenty- 
five days on an average, and is performed with great regu- 
larity once a month each way. The vessels employed on 
this line, three in number, are well built, and have good 
accommodation for passengers, and they generally carry a 
full cargo. In the present instance it consists of fungus and 
tripang {beche-de-mer) for China, oranges for San Francisco, 
a good many packages of sundries, and a large consign- 
ment of pearls, entrusted to the captain at the last moment 

So brisk is the trade carried on between Tahiti and the 
United States, that the cost of this vessel was more than 
covered by the freights the first year after she was built 
In addition to these ships, there are those which run back- 
wards and forwards to Valparaiso, and the little island 
trading schooners ; so that the Tahitians can boast of quite 
a respectable fleet of vessels, not imposing perhaps in 
point of tonnage, but as smart and serviceable-looking as 
could be desired. The trading schooners are really beautiful 
little craft, and I am sure that, if well kept and properly 
manned, they would show to no discredit among our smart 
yachts at Cowes. Not a day passes without one or more 
entering or leaving the harbour, returning from or bound 
to the lonely isles with which the south-west portion of the 
Pacific is studded. They are provided with a patent log, 
but their captains, who are intelligent men, do not care 
much about a chronometer, as the distances to be run are 
comparatively short and are easily judged. 

Mr. Godeffroy gave us rather an amusing account of the 
manner in which their negotiations with the natives are 
conducted. The more civilised islanders have got beyond 
barter, and prefer hard cash in American dollars for their 



245 A FLINT ISLANDER. 

pearls, shells, cocoa-nuts, sandal-wood, &c. When they have 
received the money, they remain on deck for some time 
discussing their bargains among themselves. Then they 
peep down through the open skylights into the cabin 
below, where the most attractive prints and the gaudiest 
articles of apparel are temptingly displayed, alongside a 
few bottles of rum and brandy and a supply of tobacco. 
It is not long before the bait is swallowed ; down go the 
natives, the goods are sold, and the dollars have once more 
found their way back into the captain's hands. 

I had a long talk with one of the natives, who arrived 
to-day from Flint Island — a most picturesque-looking 
individual, dressed in scarlet and orange-coloured flannel, 
and a mass of black, shiny, curly hair. Flint Island is a 
place whose existence has been disputed, it having been 
more than once searched for by ships in vain. It was, 
therefore, particularly interesting to meet some one who 
had actually visited, and had just returned from, the 
spot in question. That islands do occasionally disappear 
entirely in these parts there can be little doubt. The 
Tahitian schooners were formerly in the habit of trading 
with a small island close to Rarotonga, whose name I 
forget ; but about four years ago, when proceeding thither 
with the usual three-monthly cargo of provisions, prints, 
&c, they failed to find the island, of which no trace has 
since been seen. Two missionaries from Rarotonga are 
believed to have been on it at the time of its disappear- 
ance, and to have shared its mysterious fate. 

Thursday, December Jth. — At eight o'clock I took 
Mabelle and Muriel for a drive in a pony-carriage which 
had been kindly lent me, but with a hint that the horse was 
rather me'chant sometimes. He behaved well on the pre- 
sent occasion, however, and we had a pleasant drive in the 
outskirts of the town for a couple of hours. 

Just as we returned, a gentleman came and asked me 
if I should like to see some remarkably fine pearls, and on 



SOUTH SEA PEARLS. 247 

my gladly consenting, he took me to his house, where I 
saw some pearls certainly worth going to look at, but too 
expensive for me, one pear-shaped gem alone having 
been valued at 1,000/. I was told they came from a 
neighbouring island, and I was given two shells containing 
pearls in various stages of formation. 

It was now time to go on board to receive some friends 
whom we had invited to breakfast, and who arrived at 
about half-past eleven. 



m 




A Tahitian Lady. 

After breakfast, and a chat, and an examination of the 
photograph books, &c, we all landed, and went to see 
Messrs. Brander's stores, where all sorts of requisites for 
fitting out ships and their crews can be procured. It is 
surprising to find how plentiful are the supplies of the 
necessaries and even the luxuries of civilised life in this 
far-away corner of the globe. You can even get ice here, 
for the manufacture of which a retired English infantry 
officer has set up an establishment with great success. But 
what interested me most were the products of this and the 



248 A TAHITIAN STORE. 

neighbouring islands. There were tons of exquisitely tinted 
pearl shells, six or eight inches in diameter, formerly a 
valuable article of commerce, but now worth comparatively 
little. The pearls that came out of them had unfortunately 
been sent away to Liverpool — 1,000/. worth by this morn- 
ing's, and 5,000/. by the last mail-ship. Then there was 
vanilla, a most precarious crop, which needs to be carefully 
watered and shaded from the first moment it is planted, 
and which must be gathered before it is ripe, and dried 
and matured in a moist heat, between blankets and feather- 
beds, in order that the pods may not crack and allow the 
essence to escape. We saw also edible fungus, exported to 
San Francisco, and thence to Hong Kong, solely for the use 
of the Chinese ; tripang, or bkhe-de-mer, a sort of sea-slug 
or holothuria, which, either living or dead, fresh or dried, 
looks equally untempting, but is highly esteemed by the 
Celestials ; coprah, or dried cocoa-nut kernels, broken into 
small pieces in order that they may stow better, and 
exported to England and other parts, where the oil is 
expressed and oil-cake formed ; and various other articles 
of commerce. The trade of the island is fast increasing, 
the average invoice value of the exports having risen from 
8,400/. in 1845 to 98,000/. in 1874. These totals are ex- 
clusive of the value of the pearls, which would increase it 
by at least another 3,000/. or 4,000/. 

I speak from personal experience when I say that every 
necessary of life on board ship, and many luxuries, can 
be procured at Tahiti. American tinned fruits and vege- 
tables beat English ones hollow. Preserved milk is uncertain 
— sometimes better, sometimes worse, than what one buys at 
home. Tinned salmon is much better. Australian mutton, 
New Zealand beef, and South Sea pork, leave nothing to 
be desired in the way of preserved meat. Fresh beef, 
mutton, and butter are hardly procurable, and the latter, 
when preserved, is uneatable. I can never understand why 
they don't take to potting and salti*^ down for export the 



DRUGGED DRINK. 249 

best butter, at some large Irish or Devonshire farm, instead 
of reserving that process for butter which is just on the turn 
and is already almost unfit to eat ; the result being that, 
long before it has reached a hot climate, it is only fit to 
grease carriage-wheels with. It could be done, and I feel 
sure it would pay, as good butter would fetch almost any 
price in many places. Some Devonshire butter, which we 
brought with us from England, is as good now, after ten 
thousand miles in the tropics, as it was when first put on 
board ; but a considerable proportion is very bad, and was 
evidently not in proper condition in the first instance. 

We had intended going afterwards to the coral reef 
with the children to have a picnic there, and had accord- 
ingly given the servants leave to go ashore for the evening ; 
but it came on to rain heavily, and we were obliged to 
return to the yacht instead. The servants had, however, 
already availed themselves of the permission they had 
received, and there was therefore no one on board in their 
department ; so we had to unpack our basket and have our 
picnic on deck, under the awning, instead of on the reef, 
which I think was almost, as great a treat to the children. 

We have, I am sorry to say, had a good deal of trouble 
with some of our men here. One disappeared directly we 
arrived, and has never been seen since. Another came off 
suffering from delirium tremens and epileptic fits, brought 
on by drink. His cries and struggles were horrible to hear 
and witness. It took four strong men to hold him, and 
the doctor was up with him all last night. Nearly all the 
ships that come here have been at sea for a long time, and 
the men are simply wild when they get ashore. Some of 
the people know only too well how to take advantage of 
this state of things, and the consequence is that it is hardly 
safe for a sailor to drink a glass of grog, for fear that it 
should be drugged. No doubt there are respectable places 
to which the men could resort, but it is not easy for a 
stranger to find them out, and our men seem to have been 



2 so CAPTAIN COOK'S TAMARIND TREE. 

particularly unfortunate in this respect. Tom talks of 
leaving two of them behind, and shipping four fresh hands, 
as our number is already rather short. 

Friday, December 8tk. — I persuaded Tom to make 
another excursion to the coral reef this morning, and at 
five o'clock he and Mabelle and I set off in the ' Flash,' 
just as the sun was rising. We had a delightful row, past 
the Quarantine Island, 1 to the portion of the reef on 
the other side of the harbour, where we had not yet 
been, and where I think the coral plants and flowers 
and bushes showed to greater advantage than ever, as they 
were less crowded, and the occasional patches of sandy 
bottom enabled one to see them better. We were so 
engrossed in our examination of these marvels of the deep, 
and of the fish with which the water abounded, that we 
found ourselves aground several times, and our return to 
the yacht was consequently delayed. 

After breakfast I had another visit from a man with 
war-cloaks, shell-belts, tapa, and reva reva, which he brought 
on board for my inspection. It was a difficult task to make 
him understand what I meant, but at last I thought I had 
succeeded in impressing on his mind the fact that I wished 
to buy them, and that they would be paid for at the store. 
The sequel unfortunately proved that I was mistaken. At 
nine o'clock we set out for the shore, and after landing 
drove along the same road by which we had returned from 
our excursion round the island. 2 After seeing as much of 
the place as our limited time would allow, we drove over 
to Faataua, where we found the children and maids. The 
grand piano, every table, and the drawing-room floor, 



1 The native name is ' Motu-iti,' i.e. Utile island. 

2 We paid a brief visit to Point Venus, whence Captain Cook 
observed the transit of Venus on November 9th, 1769, and we saw 
the lighthouse and tamarind tree, which now mark the spot. The 
latter, from which we brought away some seed, was undoubtedly 
planted by Captain Cook with his own hand. 



PRINCELY HOSPITALITY. 



351 



were spread with the presents we were expected to take 
away with us. There were bunches of scarlet feathers, 
two or three hundred in number, from the tail of the tropic 
bird, which are only allowed to be possessed and 
worn by chiefs, and which are of great value, as 
each bird produces only two feathers ; pearl 
shells, with corals growing on them, red coral 
from the islands on the Equator, curious sponges 
and sea-weed, tapa cloth and reva-reva fringe, 
arrowroot and palm-leaf hats, cocoa-nut drinking 
vessels, fine mats plaited in many patterns, and 
other specimens of the products of the island. 

All the members of the royal family at 
present in Tahiti had been invited to meet us, 
and arrived in due course, including the heir- 
apparent and his brother and sister. All the 
guests were dressed in the native costume, with 
wreaths on their heads and necks, and even the 
servants — including our own, whom I hardly 
recognised — were similarly decorated. Wreaths 
had also been prepared for us, three of fragrant 
yellow flowers for Mabelle, Muriel, and myself, 
and others of a different kind for the gentlemen. 

When the feast was ready the Prince offered 
me his arm, and we all walked in a procession 
to a grove of bananas in the garden through 
two lines of native servants, who, at a given 
signal, saluted us with three hearty English 
cheers. We then continued our walk till we 
arrived at a house, built in the native style, 
by the side of a rocky stream, like a Scotch 
burn. The uprights of the house were banana 
trees, transplanted with their leaves on, so as to 
shade the roof, which was formed of plaited 
cocoa-nut palm-leaves, each about fifteen feet long, laid 
transversely across bamboo rafters. From these lig-ht- 



':■ 




*5» UNDER THE BANANAS. 

green supports and the dark green roof depended the 
yellow and brown leaves of the theve, woven into grace- 
ful garlands and elegant festoons. The floor was covered 
with the finest mats, with black and white borders, 
and the centre strewn with broad green plantain leaves, 
to form the tablecloth, on which were laid baskets and 
dishes, made of leaves sewed together, and containing all 
sorts of native delicacies. There were oysters, lobsters, 
wurrali, and crawfish, stewed chicken, boiled sucking- 
pig, plantains, bread-fruit, melons, bananas, oranges, and 
strawberries. Before each guest was placed a half cocoa- 
nut full of salt water, another full of chopped cocoa-nut, 
a third full of fresh water, and another full of milk, two 
pieces of bamboo, a basket of poi, half a bread-fruit, 
and a platter of green leaves, the latter being changed 
with each course. We took our seats on the ground round 
the green table. An address was first delivered in the 
native language, grace was then said, and we commenced. 
The first operation was to mix the salt water and the 
chopped cocoa-nut together, so as to make an appetising 
sauce, into which we were supposed to dip each morsel we 
ate, the empty salt-water bowl being filled up with fresh 
water with which to wash our fingers and lips. We were 
tolerably successful in the use of our fingers as substitutes 
for knives and forks. The only drawback was that the 
dinner had to be eaten amid such a scene of novelty and 
beauty, that our attention was continually distracted: 
there was so much to admire, both in the house itself and 
outside it. After we had finished, all the servants sat down 
to dinner, and from a dais at one end of the room we sur- 
veyed the bright and animated scene, the gentlemen — and 
some of the ladies too — meanwhile enjoying their cigarettes. 
When we got down to Papeete, at about half-past four, 
so many things had to be done that it seemed impossible 
to accomplish a start this evening. First of all the two 
Princes came on board, and were shown round, after which 



A LAST— FAREWELL. 



253 



there were accounts to be paid, linen to be got on board, 

and various other preparations to be made. Presently 

it was discovered that the cloaks I had purchased — or 

thought I had purchased — this morning had not turned 

up, and that our saddles 

had been left at Faataua 

on Sunday and had been 

forgotten. The latter were 

immediately sent for, but 

although some one Avent on 

shore to look after the cloaks 

nothing could be heard of 

them ; so I suppose I failed 

after all in making the man 

understand that he was to 

take them to the store and 

be paid for them there. 

At six o'clock the pilot 

sent word that it was no 

longer safe to go out ; but 
steam was already up, and 
Tom therefore decided to go 
outside the reef and there 
wait for the people and goods that were still on shore. At 
this moment the saddles appeared in one direction, and the 
rest of the party in another. They were soon on board, the 
anchor was raised, and we began to steam slowly ahead, 
taking a last regretful look at Papeete as we left the har- 
bour. By the time we were outside it was dark, the pilot 
went ashore, and we steamed full speed ahead. After din- 
ner, and indeed until we went to bed, at half-past eleven, 
the lights along the shore were clearly visible, and the form 
of the high mountains behind could be distinguished. 

Good-bye, lovely Tahiti ! I wonder if I shall ever see 
you again ; it makes me quite sad to think how small is 
the chance of my doing so. 




Chnetodon B*9antii. 



CHAPTER XV. 

TAHITI TO SANDWICH ISLANDS.-KILAUEA BY DAY 
AND BY NIGHT. 

Methinki it should have been impossible, 
Nat to love all things in a world so filled. 
Where the breeze warbles, and t!ie mute still air 
Is music, slumbering on lier instrument. 

Saturday, December gt/i.— After leaving the harbour of 
Papeete we passed close to the island of Eimeo, on which 
we have gazed so often and with so much pleasure during 
the past week. It is considered the most beautiful island of 
the Georgian group, and we all regretted that we were un- 
able to spare the time to visit it. From afar it is rather like 
the dolomite mountains in the Tyrol, and it is said that 
the resemblance is even more striking on a near approach. 
The harbour is a long narrow gorge between high moun- 
tains, clothed with palms, oranges, and plantains, and is one 
of the most remarkable features of the place. Huahine is 
the island of which the Earl and the Doctor speak, in 
' South Sea Bubbles,' in terms of such enthusiasm, and 
Rarotonga is the head and centre of all the missionary 
efforts of the present time in these parts. 

The weather to-day was fine, though we had occasional 
squalls ol wind and rain. We were close-hauled, and the 
motion of the vessel was violent and disagreeable. I was 
very sea-sick, and was consoled to find that several of the 
men were so too. A head sea — or nearly so — is quite a 
novel experience for us of late, and we none of us like the 
change. 



A FISHERMAN'S COURSE. 255 

Sunday, December 10th. — Another squally day. Still 
close-hauled, and even then not on our course. We had a 
short service at eleven, but it was as much as I could do 
to remain on deck. 

Monday, December nth. — Very like yesterday. We 
passed close to Flint and Vostok Islands, at the former of 
which I should have much liked to land. But it was 
a good deal to leeward of us ; there is no anchorage, 
and the landing, which is always difficult and sometimes 
impossible, has to be effected in native surf-boats. It 
would have been interesting to see a guano island, of 
which this is a perfect specimen. 

We had hoped to make the Caroline Islands before 
dark (not the Caroline Islands proper, but a group of low 
islets, whose position is very uncertainly indicated in the 
different charts and books) ; but the wind fell light, and as 
we could see nothing of them at sunset, although the view 
from the masthead extended at least fifteen miles in every 
direction, it was decided at eight o'clock to put the ship 
about, to insure not running on them or any of the sur- 
rounding reefs in the night. The currents run very swiftly 
between these islands, and it is impossible to tell your 
exact position, even a few hours after having taken an 
observation. 

Tuesday, December 1 2th.— The wind freshened imme- 
diately after we had changed our course last night, and 
fell light directly we had put about again this morning, 
so that it was fully 9 a.m. before we had regained our 
position of yesterday evening. 

Our compass-cards were getting worn out, and Tom 
gave out new ones before leaving Tahiti. I was very much 
amused to-night, when, as usual, just before going to bed, 
I went to have a look at the compass and see how the 
yacht was lying, and asked the man at the wheel what 
course he was steering. ' North and by west, half-east, 
ma'am, he replied. ' That's a funny course,' I said ; ' tell 



*56 



OVER THE LINE AGAIN. 



me again.' He repeated his statement ; whereupon I re- 
marked that the course was quite a new one to me. ' Oh, 
yes, ma'am,' he answered, ' but them's the new compass- 
cards.' This man is one of the best helmsmen in the ship, 
but certainly seems to be an indifferent scholar. 

Friday, December i$th. — We crossed 
the line at half-past four this morning. 
Father Neptune was to have paid us 
another visit in the evening, but the crew 
were busy, and there were some diffi- 
culties about arranging the 
details of the ceremony. The 
children were 
obliged, there- 
fore, to be con- 
tent with their 
usual game of 
drilling every 
one that they 
were able to 
muster for sol- 
diers, after the 
fashion of Cap- 
tain Brown's 
'rifle practice,' 
or marching up 
and down the 
decks to the 
strains of Jem 
Butt's fiddle 

playing 'Tommy make room for your Uncle/ accom- 
panied by the somewhat discordant noise of their own 
drums. These amusements after sunset, and scrubbing 
decks and working at the pumps before sunrise, give us 
all the much-needed exercise it is impossible to take in the 
heat of the daytime. 




Tattoo in the Tropics 



WATTS' AT SEA. *57 



Saturday, December 16th. — At 1.30 a.m. I was awoke 
by the strains of sweet music, and could not at first 
imagine where I could be, or whence the sounds came. It 
proved to be the performance of some ' waits ' on board. 
I do not know who originated the idea, but it was a 
very good one, and was excellently carried out. Everybody 
assembled on deck by degrees, and the songsters enjoyed 
a glass of grog when their labours were finished, after 
which we all went to bed again. 

It had fallen calm yesterday evening, and the funnel was 
raised at midnight, but the breeze, sprang up again to-day, 
and at noon the fires were banked and the sails were set 
Of course it then fell calm again, and at six o'clock we were 
once more proceeding under steam. There was one squall in 
the night, accompanied by the most tremendous rain I ever 
saw or heard. We talk of tropical rain in England, but the 
real thing is very different. It seemed just as if the bottom 
of an enormous cistern overhead had suddenly been re- 
moved, allowing the contents to fall exactly on the spot 
where we were. The water came down in sheets, and 
was soon three or four inches deep on the deck, though 
it was pouring out of the scuppers all the time as fast as 
possible. 

Sunday, December ijth. — A showery morning. We had 
Communion Service and hymns at eleven. In the after- 
noon it was too rough for ' church,' and Tom was unable 
to deliver his intended address to the men. 

Monday, December 1 %th. — We were close-hauled, with a 
strong north-east wind, and heavy squalls and showers at 
intervals. We saw several flying-fish and a good many 
birds, apparently hovering over a shoal of whales or 
grampuses. It is wonderful how little life we have seen on 
this portion of our voyage. 

Tuesday, December igt/i. — A fine day — wind rather more 
fair — sea still rough and disagreeable. I tried to work hard 
all day, but found it very difficult. 



353 ABSENTEE PILOT. 

Thursday, December 21st. — Wind variable and baffling 
—sometimes calm, sometimes squally, sometimes a nice 
breeze. Sails were hoisted and lowered at least a dozen 
times, and fires were banked more than once. 

Friday, December 22nd. — At 6.30 a.m. we made the 
island of Hawaii, rather too much to leeward, as we had 
been carried by the strong current at least eighteen miles 
out of our course. We were therefore obliged to beat up 
to windward, in the course of which operation we passed 
a large barque running before the wind — the first ship we 
had seen since leaving Tahiti — and also a fine whale, blow- 
ing, close to us. We could not see the high land in the centre 
of the island, owing to the mist in which it was enveloped, 
and there was great excitement and much speculation on 
board as to the principal points which were visible. At 
noon the observations taken proved that Tom was right in 
his opinion as to our exact position. The wind dropped as 
we approached the coast, where we could see the heavy surf 
dashing against the black lava cliffs, rushing up the little 
creeks, and throwing its spray in huge fountain-like jets 
high above the tall cocoa-nut trees far inland. 

We sailed along close to the shore, and by two o'clock 
were near the entrance to the Bay of Hilo. In answer to 
our signal for a pilot a boat came off with a man who said 
he knew the entrance to the harbour, but informed us that 
the proper pilot had gone to Honolulu on a pleasure trip. 

It was a clear afternoon. The mountains, Mauna Kea 
and Mauna Loa, could be plainly seen from top to bottom, 
their giant crests rising nearly 14,000 feet above our heads, 
their tree and fern clad slopes seamed with deep gulches or 
ravines, down each of which a fertilising river ran into the 
sea. Inside the reef, the white coral shore, on which the 
waves seemed too lazy to break, is fringed with a belt 
of cocoa-nut palms, amongst which, as well as on the hill- 
sides, the little white houses are prettily dotted. All are 
surrounded by gardens, so full of flowers that the bright 



GARLANDS AND WREATHS. 259 

patches of colour were plainlj' visible even from the deck 
of the yacht. The harbour is large, and is exposed only 
to one bad wind, which is most prevalent during the winter 
months. Still, with good ground-tackle, there is not much 
to be feared, and there is one particular spot, sheltered by 
the Blonde reef, which is almost always safe. Here, accord- 
ingly, we have taken up our station, though it is rather far 
from the town. Sometimes it is impossible to land at Hilo 
itself for days together, but there is fortunately a little creek 
behind Cocoa-nut Island which is always accessible. 

This afternoon the weather was all that could be de- 
sired, and at three o'clock we landed and went straight to 
Mr. Conway's store to make arrangements for going to the 
volcano of Kilauea to-morrow. Mr. Conway sent a man 
off at once on horseback to warn the people at the ' Half- 
way House ' and at ' Volcano House ' to make preparations 
to receive our party — a necessary precaution, as visitors to 
the island are not numerous, and can only arrive by the 
monthly steamer from Honolulu. 

Having arranged this matter, we went for a stroll, 
among neat houses and pretty gardens, to the suspension- 
bridge over the river, followed by a crowd of girls, all deco- 
rated with wreaths and garlands, and wearing almost the 
same dress that we had seen at Tahiti — a coloured long- 
sleeved loose gown reaching to the feet. The natives here 
appear to affect duller colours than those we have lately 
been accustomed to, lilac, drab, brown, and other dark 
prints being the favourite tints. Whenever I stopped to 
look at a view, one of the girls would come behind me and 
throw a lei of flowers over my head, fasten it round my 
neck, and then run away laughing, to a distance, to judge 
of effect. The consequence was that, before the end of our 
walk, I had about a dozen wreaths, of various colours and 
lengths, hanging round me, till I felt almost as if I had a 
fur tippet on, they made me so hot ; and yet I did not like 
to take them off for fear of hurting the poor girls' feelings. 



•5o AGILE MAIDENS. 



We walked along the river bank, and crossed to the 
other side just below the rapids, jumping over the narrow 
channels through which the water hurried and rushed. 
Some of our attendant girls carried Muriel and the dogs, 
and, springing barefooted from rock to rock, led us across 
the stream and up the precipitous banks on the other 
side. There is a sort of hotel here, kept by a Chinaman, 
where everything is scrupulously clean, and the food good 
though plain. It is rather more like a lodging-house 
than an hotel, however. You hire your rooms, and are 
expected to make special arrangements for board. Before 
we got back to the yacht it had become dark, the moon 
had risen, and we could see the reflection in the sky of the 
fires in the crater of Kilauea. I do hope the volcano will 
be active to-morrow. It is never two days in the same 
condition, and visitors have frequently remained in the 
neighbourhood of the crater for a week without seeing 
an eruption. 

The starlit sky, the bright young moon, and the red 
cloud from Kilauea, floating far above our heads, made up 
a most beautiful scene from the deck of the ' Sunbeam.' 

Saturday, December 2^rd. — The boatman who brought 
us off last night had told us that Saturday was market-day 
at Hilo, and that at five o'clock the natives would come in 
from the surrounding country in crowds to buy their Sunday 
and Christmas Day provisions, and to bring their own 
produce for sale. We accordingly gave orders that the 
boat should come for us at a quarter to five, shortly before 
which we got up and went on deck. We waited patiently 
in the dark until half-past five, when, no boat appearing 
from the shore, the dingy was manned and we landed. 
The lights in the town were all out, the day had hardly 
dawned, and. there were no signs of life to be seen. At 
last we met two men, who told us we should find the 
market near the river, and offered to show us the way ; but 
when we arrived at the spot they had indicated we found 



AN EARLY START FOR NOTHING. 261 

only a large butcher's shop, and were informed that the 
regular market for fish, fruit, and other things was held at 
five o'clock in the afternoon instead of in the morning. 
We had thus had all our trouble for nothing, and the non- 
appearance of the boat was fully explained. 

Presently we met a friend who took us to his home. 
It was a pretty walk, by the side of the river and through 
numerous gardens, fresh with the morning dew. He gave 
us the latest news from the United States, and presented 
us with oranges and flowers, with which we returned to the 
yacht. We were on board again by seven, and, having 
packed up our things and sent them ashore, had an early 
breakfast, and landed, in readiness for our excursion to 
Kilauea. The baggage animals ought already to have 
started, but we found they had been kept back, in case we 
should happen to forget anything. Quite a crowd assembled 
to see us off, and a good deal of gossip had to be got through, 
so that it was half-past nine before we were all mounted 
and fairly off. 

The first part of our way lay along the fiat ground, gay 
with bright scarlet Guernsey lilies, and shaded by cocoa-nut 
trees, between the town and the sea. Then we struck off 
to the right, and soon left the town behind us, emerging 
into the open country. At a distance from the sea, Hilo 
looks as green as the Emerald Isle itself; but on a closer 
inspection the grass turns out to be coarse and dry, and 
many of the trees look scrubby and half dead. Except in 
the ' gulches ' and the deep holes between the hills, the 
island is covered with lava, in many places of so recent a 
deposit that it has not yet had time to decompose, and 
there is consequently only a thin layer of soil on its surface. 
This soil being, however, very rich, vegetation flourishes 
luxuriantly for a time ; but as soon as the roots have 
penetrated a certain depth, and have come into contact 
with the lava, the trees wither up and perish, like the seed 
that fell on stony ground. 



a62 CANDLE-NUT TREES. 

The ohia trees form a handsome feature in the land- 
scape, with their thick tall stems, glossy foliage, and light 
crimson flowers. The fruit is a small pink waxy-looking 
apple, slightly acid, pleasant to the taste when you are 
thirsty. The candle-nut trees attain to a large size, and 
their light green foliage and white flowers have a very 
graceful appearance. Most of the foliage, however, is 
spoiled by a deposit of black dust, not unlike what one sees 
on the leaves in a London garden. I do not know whether 
this is caused by the fumes of the not far-distant volcano, 
or whether it is some kind of mould or fungus. 

After riding about ten miles in the blazing sun we 
reached a forest, where the vegetation was quite tropical, 
though not so varied in its beauties as that of Brazil, or of 
the still more lovely South Sea Islands. There were ferns 
of various descriptions in the forest, and many fine trees, 
entwined, supported, or suffocated by numerous climbing 
plants, amongst which were blue and lilac convolvulus, and - 
magnificent passion-flowers. The protection from the sun 
afforded by this dense mass of foliage was extremely 
grateful ; but the air of the forest was close and stifling, 
and at the end of five miles we were glad to emerge once 
more into the open. The rest of the way lay over the 
hard lava, through a sort of desert of scrubby vegetation, 
occasionally relieved by clumps of trees in hollows. More 
than once we had a fine view of the sea, stretching away 
into the far distance, though it was sometimes mistaken for 
the bright blue sky, until the surf could be seen breaking 
upon the black rocks, amid the encircling groves of cocoa- 
nut trees. 

The sun shone fiercely at intervals, and the rain came 
down several times in torrents. The pace was slow, the 
road was dull and dreary, and many were the inquiries 
made for the ' Half-way House,' long before we reached 
it. We had still two miles farther to go, in the course 
of which we were drenched by a heavy shower. At last 




A RELIGIOUS BEGGAR. 



TAPPA MAKING. 263 



we came to a native house, crowded with people, where 
they were making tappa or kapa — the cloth made from the 
bark of the paper-mulberry. Here we stopped for a few 
minutes until our guide hurried us on, pointing out the 
church and the ' Half-way House ' just ahead. 

We were indeed glad to dismount after our weary ride, 
and rest in the comfortable rocking-chairs under the veran- 
dah. It is a small white wooden building, overhung with 
orange-trees, with a pond full of ducks and geese outside 
it, and a few scattered outbuildings, including a cooking 
hut, close by. A good-looking man was busy broiling 
beef-steaks, stewing chickens, and boiling taro, and we had 
soon a plentiful repast set before us, with the very weakest 
of weak tea as a beverage. The woman of the house, 
which contained some finely worked mats and clean-looking 
beds, showed us some tappa cloth, together with the mallets 
and other instruments used in its manufacture, and a beau- 
tiful orange-coloured lei, or feather necklace, which she 
had made herself. The cloth and mallets were for sale, 
but no inducement would persuade her to part with the 
necklace. It was the first she had ever made, and I was 
afterwards told that the natives are superstitiously careful 
to preserve the first specimen of their handiwork, of what- 
ever kind it may be. 

A woman dressed in a pink holoku and a light green 
apron had followed us hither from the cottages we had first 
stopped at, and I noticed at the time that, though she was 
chatting and laughing with a female companion, she did 
not seem very well. Whilst we were at lunch a sudden 
increase to her family took place, and before we were ready 
to start I paid her and her infant a visit. She was then 
sitting up, apparently as well as ever, and seemed to look 
upon the recent event as a very light matter. 

Directly we had finished our meal — about three o'clock 
— the guide came and tried to persuade us that, as the 
baggage-mules had not yet arrived, it would be too latr- 



264 A PILLAR OF FIRE. 

for us to go on to-day, and that we had better spend the 
night where we were, and start early in the morning. We 
did not, however, approve of this arrangement, so the horses 
were saddled, and, leaving word that the baggage-mules 
were to follow on as soon as possible, we mounted, and set 
off for the ' Volcano House.' We had not gone far before 
we were again overtaken by a shower, which once more 
drenched us to the skin. 

The scene was certainly one of extreme beauty. The 
moon was hidden by a cloud, and the prospect lighted only 
by the red glare of the volcano, which hovered before and 
above us like the Israelites' pillar of fire, giving us hopes of 
a splendid spectacle when we should at last reach the 
long-wished-for crater. Presently the moon shone forth 
again, and gleamed and glistened on the rain-drops and 
silver-grasses till they looked like fireflies and glowworms. 
At last, becoming impatient, we proceeded slowly on our 
way, until we met a man on horseback, who hailed us in a 
cheery voice with an unmistakable American accent. It 
was the landlord of the ' Volcano House,' Mr. Kane, who, 
fearing from the delay that we had met with some mishap, 
had started to look for us. He explained that he thought 
it was only his duty to look after and help ladies visiting 
the volcano, and added that he had intended going down 
as far as the ' Half-way House ' in search of us. It was a 
great relief to know that we were in the right track, and I 
quite enjoyed the gallop through the dark forest, though 
there was barely sufficient light to enable me to discern the 
horse immediately in front of me. When we emerged 
from the wood, we found ourselves at the very edge of the 
old crater, the bed of which, three or four hundred feet 
beneath us, was surrounded by steep and in many places 
overhanging sides. It looked like an enormous cauldron, 
four or five miles in width, full of a mass of cooled pitch. 
In the centre was the still glowing stream of dark red lava, 
flowing slowly towards us, and in every direction were red- 



YULE-TIDE IN HAWAII. 



hot patches, and flames and smoke issuing from the ground. 
A bit of the ' black country ' at night, with all the coal- 
heaps on fire, would give you some idea of the scene. Yet 
the first sensation is rather one of disappointment, as one 
expects greater activity on the part of the volcano ; but the 
new crater was still to be seen, containing the lake of fire, 
with steep walls rising up in the midst of the sea of lava. 

Twenty minutes' hard riding brought us to the door of 
the 'Volcano House,' from which issued the comforting 
light of a large wood fire, reaching halfway up the chimney. 
Native garments replaced Mabelle's and my dripping 
habits, and we sat before the fire in luxury until the rest of 
the party arrived. After some delay supper was served, 
cooked by our host, and accompanied by excellent Bass's 
beer, no wine or spirits being procurable on the premises. 
Mr. Kane made many apologies for shortcomings, ex- 
plaining that his cook had run away that morning, and that 
his wife was not able to do much to assist him, as her first 
baby was only a week old. 

Everything at this inn is most comfortable, though the 
style is rough and ready. The interior is just now deco- 
rated for Christmas, with wreaths, and evergreens, and ferns, 
and bunches of white plumes, not unlike reva-reva, made 
from the pith of the silver-grass. The beds and bedrooms 
are clean, but limited in number, there being only three of 
the latter altogether. The rooms are separated only by 
partitions of grass, seven feet high, so that there is plenty 
of ventilation, and the heat of the fire permeates the whole 
building. But you must not talk secrets in these dormi- 
tories or be too restless. I was amused to find, in the 
morning, that I had unconsciously poked my hand through 
the wall of our room during the night. 

The grandeur of the view in the direction of the volcano 
increased as the evening wore on. The fiery cloud above 
the present crater augmented in size and depth of colour ; 
the extinct crater glowed red in thirty or forty different 



266 THE VOLCANO HOUSE. 

places ; and clouds of white vapour issued from every crack 
and crevice in the ground, adding to the sulphurous smell 
with which the atmosphere was laden. Our room faced 
the volcano : there were no blinds, and I drew back the 
curtains and lay watching the splendid scene until I fell 
asleep. 

Sunday, December 24th (Christmas Eve). — I was up at 
four o'clock, to gaze once more on the wondrous spectacle 
that lay before me. The molten lava still flowed in many 
places, the red cloud over the fiery lake was bright as ever, 
and steam was slowly ascending in every direction, over hill 
and valley, till, as the sun rose, it became difficult to dis- 
tinguish clearly the sulphurous vapours from the morning 
mists. We walked down to the Sulphur Banks, about a 
quarter of a mile from the ' Volcano House,' and burnt 
our gloves and boots in our endeavours to procure crys- 
tals, the beauty of which generally disappeared after a 
very short exposure to the air. We succeeded, however, in 
finding a few good specimens, and, by wrapping them at 
once in paper and cotton-wool and putting them into a 
bottle, hope to bring them home uninjured. 

On our return we found a gentleman who had just 
arrived from Kau, and who proposed to join us in our 
expedition to the crater, and at three o'clock in the after- 
noon we set out, a party of eight, with two guides, and 
three porters to carry our wraps and provisions, and to 
bring back specimens. Before leaving the inn the landlord 
came to us and begged us in an earnest and confidential 
manner to be very careful, to do exactly what our guides 
told us, and especially to follow in their footsteps exactly 
when returning in the dark. He added, ' There never has 
been an accident happen to anybody from my house, and 
I should feel real mean if one did : but there have been a 
power of narrow escapes.' 

First of all we descended the precipice, — 300 feet in 
depth, forming the wall of the old crater, — but now thickly 




_=s&«£» 



jf^WW 



FISH MARKET. 



THE CRATER OF KILAUEA. 267 

covered with vegetation. It is so steep in many places 
that flights of zig-zag wooden steps have been inserted 
in the face of the cliff in some places, in order to render the 
descent practicable. At the bottom we stepped straight 
on to the surface of cold boiled lava, which we had seen 
from above last night Even here, in every crevice where 
a few grains of soil had collected, delicate little ferns might 
be seen struggling for life, and thrusting out their green 
fronds towards the light. It was the most extraordinary 
walk imaginable over that vast plain of lava, twisted and 
distorted into every conceivable shape and form, according 
to the temperature it had originally attained, and the ra- 
pidity with which it had cooled, its surface, like half-molten 
glass, cracking and breaking beneath our feet. Sometimes 
we came to a patch that looked like the contents of a pot, 
suddenly petrified in the act of boiling ; sometimes the 
black iridescent lava had assumed the form of waves, or 
more frequently of huge masses of rope, twisted and coiled 
together ; sometimes it was piled up like a collection of 
organ-pipes, or had gathered into mounds and cones of 
various dimensions. As we proceeded the lava became 
hotter and hotter, and from every crack arose gaseous 
fumes, affecting our noses and throats in a painful manner ; 
till at last, when we had to pass to leeward of the molten 
stream flowing from the lake, the vapours almost choked 
us, and it was with difficulty we continued to advance. 
The lava was more glassy and transparent-looking, as if it 
had been fused at a higher temperature than usual ; and 
the crystals of sulphur, alum, and other minerals, with 
which it abounded, reflected the light in bright prismatic 
colours. In places it was quite transparent, and we could 
see beneath it the long streaks of a stringy kind of lava, 
like brown spun glass, called ' Pele's hair.' 

At last we reached the foot of the present crater, and 
commenced the ascent of the outer wall. Many times the 
thin crust gave way beneath our guide, and he had to retire 



a68 THE LAKE OF FIRE. 

quickly from the hot, blinding, choking fumes that imme- 
diately burst forth. But we succeeded in reaching the top ; 
and then what a sight presented itself to our astonished 
eyes ! I could neither speak nor move at first, but could 
only stand and gaze at the horrible grandeur of the scene. 

We were standing on the extreme edge of a precipice, 
overhanging a lake of molten fire, a hundred feet below us, 
and nearly a mile across. Dashing against the cliffs on the 
opposite side, with a noise like the roar of a stormy ocean, 
waves of blood-red, fiery, liquid lava hurled their billows 
upon an iron-bound headland, and then rushed up the face 
of the cliffs to toss their gory spray high in the air. The 
restless, heaving lake boiled and bubbled, never remaining 
the same for two minutes together. Its normal colour 
seemed to be a dull dark red, covered with a thin grey 
scum, which every moment and in every part swelled and 
cracked, and emitted fountains, cascades, and whirlpools of 
yellow and red fire, while sometimes one big golden river, 
sometimes four or five, flowed across it. There was an 
island on one side of the lake, which the fiery waves seemed 
to attack unceasingly with relentless fury, as if bent on 
hurling it from its base. On the other side was a large 
cavern, into which the burning mass rushed with a loud 
roar, breaking down in its impetuous headlong career the 
gigantic stalactites that overhung the mouth of the cave, 
and flinging up the liquid material for the formation of 
fresh ones. 

It was all terribly grand, magnificently sublime ; but 
no words could adequately describe such a scene. The 
precipice on which we were standing overhung the crater 
so much that it was impossible to see what was going 
on immediately beneath ; but from the columns of smoke 
and vapour that arose, the flames and sparks that constantly 
drove us back from the edge, it was easy to imagine that 
there must have been two or three grand fiery fountains 
below. As the sun set. and darkness enveloped the scene, 



TERRIBLY GRAND. 269 

it became more awful than ever. We retired a little way 
from the brink, to breathe some fresh air, and to try and eat 
the food we had brought with us ; but this was an impossi- 
bility. Every instant a fresh explosion or glare made us 
jump up to survey the stupendous scene. The violent 
struggles of the lava to escape from its fiery bed, and the 
loud and awful noises by which they were at times 
accompanied, suggested the idea that some imprisoned 
monsters were trying to release themselves from their 
bondage, with shrieks and groans, and cries of agony and 
despair, at the futility of their efforts. 

Sometimes there were at least seven spots on the bor- 
ders of the lake where the molten lava dashed up furiously 
against the rocks — seven fire-fountains playing simul- 
taneously. With the increasing darkness the colours 
emitted by the glowing mass became more and more 
wonderful, varying from the deepest jet black to the palest 
grey, from darkest maroon, through cherry and scarlet, to 
the most delicate pink, violet, and blue ; from the richest 
brown, through orange and yellow, to the lightest straw- 
colour. And there was yet another shade, only describable 
by the term ' molten-lava colour.' Even the smokes and 
vapours were rendered beautiful by their borrowed lights 
and tints, and the black peaks, pinnacles, and crags, which 
surrounded the amphitheatre, formed a splendid and appro- 
priate background. Sometimes great pieces broke off and 
tumbled with a crash into the burning lake, only to be 
remelted and thrown up anew. I had for some time 
been feeling very hot and uncomfortable, and on looking 
round the cause was at once apparent Not two inches 
beneath the surface, the grey lava on which we were stand- 
ing and sitting was red-hot. A stick thrust through it 
caught fire, a piece of paper was immediately destroyed, 
and the gentlemen found the heat from the crevices so 
great that they could not approach near enough to light 
their pipes. 



270 OVER A FURNACE. 

One more long last look, and then we turned our faces 
away from the scene that had enthralled us for so many 
hours. The whole of the lava we had crossed, in the 
extinct crater, was now aglow in many patches, and in all 
directions flames were bursting forth, fresh lava was flowing, 
and steam and smoke were issuing from the surface. It 
was a toilsome journey back again, walking as we did in 
single file, and obeying the strict injunctions of our head 
guide to follow him closely, and to tread exactly in his 
footsteps. On the whole it was easier by night than by 
day to distinguish the route to be taken, as we could now 
see the dangers that before we could only feel ; and many 
were the fiery crevices we stepped over or jumped across. 
Once I slipped, and my foot sank through the thin crust 
Sparks issued from the ground, and the stick on which ] 
leant caught fire before I could fairly recover myself. 

Either from the effects of the unaccustomed exercise 
after our long voyage, or from the intense excitement of - 
the novel scene, combined with the gaseous exhalations 
from the lava, my strength began to fail, and before reaching 
the side of the crater I felt quite exhausted. I struggled 
on at short intervals, however, collapsing several times and 
fainting away twice ; but at last I had fairly to give in, and 
to allow myself to be ignominiously carried up the steep 
precipice to the ' Volcano House ' on a chair, which the 
guides went to fetch for me. 

It was half-past eleven when we once more found our- 
selves beneath Mr. Kane's hospitable roof ; he had expected 
us to return at nine o'clock, and was beginning to feel 
anxious about us. 

Monday, December 2$t/i {Christmas Day). — Turning in 
last night was the work of a very few minutes, and this 
morning I awoke perfectly refreshed and ready to appre- 
ciate anew the wonders of the prospect that met my eyes. 
The pillar of fire was still distinctly visible when I looked 
out from my window, though it was not so bright as when 



A NEW FLOW OF LAVA. 



I had last seen it ; but even as I looked it began to fade, 
and gradually disappeared. At the same moment a river 
of glowing lava issued from the side of the bank we had 
climbed with so much difficulty yesterday, and slowly 
but surely overflowed the ground we had walked over. I 
woke Tom, and you may imagine the feelings with which 
we gazed upon this startling phenomenon, which, had it 
occurred a few hours earlier, might have caused the de- 
struction of the whole party. If our expedition had been 
made to-day instead of yesterday, we should certainly have 
had to proceed by a different route to the crater, and should 
have looked down on the lake of fire from a different 
spot 

I cannot hope that in my attempt to give you some 
idea of Kilauea as we beheld it, I shall be successful in 
conveying more than a very faint impression of its glories 
I feel that my description is so utterly inadequate, that, 
were it not for the space, I should be tempted to send you 
in full the experiences of previous visitors, as narrated in 
Miss Bird's ' Six Months in the Sandwich Islands,' and 
Mr. Bodham Whetham's < Pearls of the Pacific' The 
account contained in the former work I had read before 
arriving here ; the latter I enjoyed at the ' Volcano House.' 
Both are well worth reading by any one who feels an 
interest in the subject. 

It would, I think, be difficult to imagine a more inte- 
resting and exciting mode of spending Christmas Eve 
than yesterday has taught us, or a stranger situation in 
which to exchange our Christmas greetings than beneath 
the grass roof of an inn on the edge of a volcano in the 
remote Sandwich Islands. They were certainly rendered 
none the less cordial and sincere by the novelty of our 
position, and I think we are all rather glad not to have in 
prospect the inevitable feastings and ceremonies, without 
which it seems to be impossible to commemorate this season 
in England. If we had seen nothing but Kilauea since we 



*?* THE YOUNG MOTHER. 



left home, we should have been well rewarded for our long 
voyage. 

At six o'clock we were dressed and packed. Breakfast 
followed at half-past, and at seven we were prepared for 
a start. Our kind, active host, and his wife and baby, all 
came out to see us off. The canter over the dewy grass, in 
the fresh morning air, was most invigorating. It was 
evident that no one bad passed along the road since 
Saturday night, for we picked up several waifs and strays 
dropped in the dark on our way up — a whip, a stirrup, 
mackintosh hood, &c. 

By half-past ten we had reached the ' Half-way House,' 
where we were not expected so early, and where we had 
ample opportunity to observe the native ways of living, 
while waiting for our midday meal — an uninteresting 
mess of stewed fowl and taro, washed down with weak 
tea. After it was over I made an unsuccessful attempt 
to induce the woman of the house to part with her 
orange-coloured lei. I bought some tappa and mallets, 
however, with some of the markers used in colouring the 
cloth, and a few gourds and calabashes, forming part of the 
household furniture. While the horses were being saddled 
preparatory to our departure, Mabelle and I went to 
another cottage close by, to see the mother of the baby 
that had been born while we were here on Saturday. She 
was not at home ; but we afterwards found her playing 
cards with some of her friends in a neighbouring hut. 
Quite a large party of many natives were gathered to- 
gether, not the least cheerful of whom was the young 
mother whose case had interested me so much. 

The rest of the ride down to Hilo was as dull and 
monotonous as our upward journey had been, although, in 
order to enable us to get over it as quickly as possible, 
fresh horses had been sent to meet us. At last we reached 
the pier, where we found the usual little crowd waiting to 
see us off. The girls who had followed us when we first 



JACK ASHORE. 



landed came forward shyly when they thought they were 
unobserved, and again encircled me with leis of gay and 
fragrant flowers. The custom of decorating themselves 
with wreaths on every possible occasion is in my eyes a 
charming one, and I &ke the inhabitants of Polynesia for 
their love of flowers. They are as necessary to them as 
the air they breathe, and I think the missionaries make a 
mistake in endeavouring to repress so innocent and natural 
a taste. 

The whole town was en fete to-day. Natives were 
riding about in pairs, in the cleanest of bright cotton 
dresses and the freshest of leis and garlands. Our own 
men from the yacht contributed not a little to the gaiety 
ol the scene. They were all on shore, and the greater part 
of them were galloping about on horseback, tumbling off, 
scrambling on again, laughing, flirting, joking, and enjoying 
themselves generally after a fashion peculiar to English 
sailors. As far as we know the only evil result of all this 
merriment was that the doctor received a good many 
applications for diachylon plaster in the course of the 
evening, to repair various ' abrasions of the cuticle,' as he 
expressed it. 

I think at least half the population of Hilo had been on 
board the yacht in the course of the day, as a Christmas 
treat. At last we took a boat and went off too, accompanied 
by Mr. Lyman. The appearance of the ' Sunbeam ' from 
the shore was very gay, and as we approached it became 
more festive still. All her masts were tipped with sugar- 
canes in bloom. Ker stern was adorned with flowers, and 
in the arms of the figure-head was a large bouquet. She 
was surrounded with boats, the occupants of which cheered 
us heartily as we rowed alongside. The gangway was 
decorated with flowers, and surmounted by a triumphal 
arch, on which were inscribed 'Welcome Home/ "A Merry 
Christmas,' 'A Happy New Year,' and other good wishes. 
The whole deck was festooned with tropical plants and 



274 << WELCOME OF FLOWERS. 

flowers, and the decorations of the cabins were even more 
beautiful and elaborate. I believe all hands had been hard 
at work ever since we left to produce this wonderful effect, 
and every garden in Hilo had furnished a contribution to 
please and surprise us on our return. 

The choir from Hilo came out in boats in the evening, 
sang all sorts of songs, sacred and secular, and cheered 
everybody till they were hoarse. After this, having had a 
cold dinner, in order to save trouble, and having duly 
drunk the health of our friends at home, we all adjourned 
to the saloon, to assist in the distribution of some Christmas 
presents, a ceremony which afforded great delight to the 
children, and which was equally pleasing to the elder 
people and to the crew, if one may judge from their 
behaviour on the occasion. 

Then we sat on deck, gazing at the cloud of fire over 
Kilauea, and wondering if the appearance of the crater 
could ever be grander than it was last night, when we were 
standing on its brim. 

So ended Christmas Day, 1876, at Hilo, in Hawaii 
God grant that there ma> be many more as pleasant for us 
in store in the future! 



CHAPTER XVI. 

HAWAIIAN SPORTS. 

/* wrestling nimble, and in running swifl, 
In shooting steady, and in swimming strong, 
Well made to strike, to leap, to throrw, to lift, 
And all the sports that shepherds are among. 

Tuesday, December 26th. — We went ashore at eight 
o clock, after an early cup of coffee, and found Mr. Lyman 
already waiting for us. Two baggage-mules were sent or! 
with the photographic apparatus, and all the materials for 
breakfast, to the Rainbow Falls, where the children are 
looking forward with intense glee to boiling their own kettle, 
poaching eggs, and trying other cooking experiments. 

Before setting out for the Falls ourselves, we went 
to see the national sport of surf-swimming, for their skill 
in which the Hawaiians are so justly famed. 

The natives have many other games of which they are 
very fond, and which they play with great skill, including 
spear- throwing, transfixing an object with a dart, kona, an 
elaborate kind of draughts, and talu, which consists in 
hiding a small stone under one of five pieces of cloth, 
placed in front of the players. One hides the stone, and 
the others have to guess where it is ; and it generally 
happens that, however dexterously the hider may put his 
arm beneath the cloth, and dodge about from one piece to 
another, a clever player will be able to tell, by the move- 
ment of the muscles of the upper part of his arm, when his 
fingers relax their hold of the stone. Another game, called 
parua, is very like the Canadian sport of ' tobogging,' only 



276 HAWAIIAN? GAMES. 

that it is carried on on the grass instead of on the snow. 
The performers stand bolt upright on a narrow plank, 
turned up in front, and steered with a sort of long paddle. 
They go to the top of a hill or mountain, and rush down 
the steep, grassy, sunburnt slopes at a tremendous pace, 
keeping their balance in a wonderful manner. There is 
also a very popular amusement, called pah£> requiring a 
specially prepared smooth floor, along which the javelins of 
the players glide like snakes. On the same floor they 
also play at another game, called maita, or uru maita. 
Two sticks, only a few inches apart, are stuck into the 
ground, and at a distance of thirty or forty yards the 
players strive to throw a stone between them. The uru 
which they use for the purpose is a hard circular stone, 
three or four inches in diameter, and an inch in thickness 
at the edge, but thicker in the middle. 

Mr. Ellis, in his ' Polynesian Researches/ states that 
' these stones are finely polished, highly valued, and care- 
fully preserved, being always oiled or wrapped up in 
native cloth after having been used. The people are, if 
possible, more fond of this game than of the pahi, and the 
inhabitants of a district not unfrequently challenge the 
people of the whole island, or the natives of one island 
those of all the others, to bring a man who shall try his 
skill with some favourite player of their own district or 
island. On such occasions seven or eight thousand people, 
men and women, with their chiefs and chiefesses, assemble 
to witness the sport, which, as well as the paht, is often 
continued for hours together.' 

With bows and arrows they are as clever as all savages, 
and wonderfully good shots, attempting many wonderful 
feats. They are swift as deer, when they choose, though 
somewhat lazy and indolent. All the kings and chiefs have 
been special ' adepts in the invigorating pastime of surf- 
swimming, and the present kings sisters are considered first- 
rate hands at it. The performers begin by swimming out 



URU STONES. 



into the bay, and diving under the huge Pacific rollers, 
pushing their surf-boards — flat pieces of wood, about four 
feet long by two wide, pointed at each end— edgewise before 
them. For the return journey they select a large wave; and 
then, either sitting, kneeling, or standing on their boards, 
rush in shorewards with the speed of a racehorse, on the 
curling crest of the monster, enveloped in foam and spray, 
and holding on, as it were, by the milk-white manes of their 
furious coursers. It looked a most enjoyable amusement, 
and I should think that, to a powerful swimmer, with plenty 
of pluck, the feat is not difficult of accomplishment. The 
natives here are almost amphibious. They played all 
sorts of tricks in the water, some of the performers being 
quite tiny boys. Four strong rowers took a whale-boat 
out into the worst surf, and then, steering her by means of 
a large oar, brought her safely back to the shore on the top 
of a huge wave. 

After the conclusion of this novel entertainment, we 
all proceeded on horseback to the Falls, Baby going 
in front of Tom, and Muriel riding with Mr. Freer. 
After a couple of miles we dismounted, and had a short 
walk through grass and ferns to a pretty double water- 
fall, tumbling over a cliff, about ioo feet high, into a 
glassy pool of the river beneath. It fell in front of a fern- 
filled black lava cavern, over which a rainbow generally 
hangs. As it was too wet to sit on the grass after the rain, 
we took possession of the verandah of a native house, 
commanding a fine view of the bay and town of Hilo, 
The hot coffee and eggs were a great success even- 
tually, though the smoke from the wood fire nearly suffo- 
cated us in the process of cooking. Excellent also was 
some grey mullet, brought to us alive, and cooked native 
fashion, — wrapped up in ti leaves, and put into a hole in 
the ground 

After taking a few photographs it was time to return ; 
and we next went to a pretty garden, which we had seen 



178 A HUNDRED-FEET JUMP. 

on the night of our arrival, and, tying up our horses out- 
side, walked across it to the banks of the river. Here we 
found a large party assembled, watching half the popula- 
tion of Hilo disporting themselves in, upon, and beneath 
the water. They climbed the almost perpendicular rocks 
on the opposite side of the stream, took headers, and 
footers, and siders from any height under five-and-twenty 
feet, dived, swam in every conceivable attitude, and with- 
out any apparent exertion, deep under the water, or upon 
its surface. But all this was only a preparation for the 
special sight we had come to see. Two natives were to 
jump from a precipice, IOO feet high, into the river below, 
clearing on their way a rock which projected some twenty 
feet from the face of the cliff, at about the same distance 
from the summit. The two men, tall, strong, and sinewy, 
suddenly appeared against the sky-line, far above our 
heads, their long hair bound back by a wreath of leaves 
and flowers, while another garland encircled theit waists. 
Having measured their distance with an eagle's glance, they 
disappeared from our sight, in order to take a run and 
acquire the necessary impetus. Every breath was held for 
a moment, till one of the men reappeared, took a bound 
from the edge of the rock, turned over in mid-air, and dis- 
appeared feet foremost into the pool beneath, to emerge 
almost immediately, and to climb the sunny bank as quietly 
as if he had done nothing very wonderful. His companion 
followed, and then the two clambered up to the twenty- 
feet projection, to clear which they had had to take such a 
run the first time, and once more plunged into the pool 
below. The feat was of course an easier one than the 
first ; but still a leap of eighty feet is no light matter. A 
third native, who joined them in this exploit, gave one 
quite a turn as he twisted in his downward jump ; but he 
also alighted in the water feet foremost, and bobbed up 
again directly, like a cork. He was quite a young man, 
and we afterwards heard that he had broken several ribs 



NEREIDS. 



»79 



not more than a year ago, and had been laid up for six 
months in the hospital. 

We now moved our position a little higher up the river, 
to the Falls, over which the men, gliding down the shallow 
rapids above, in a sitting posture, allowed themselves to be 
carried. It looked a pleasant and easy feat, and was after- 
wards performed by many of the natives in all sorts of 
ways. Two or three of them would hold each other's 
shoulders, forming a child's train, or some would get on 
the backs of their companions, while others descended 
singly in a variety of attitudes. At last a young girl was 
also persuaded to attempt the feat. She looked very 
pretty as she started, in her white chemise and bright 
garland, and prettier still when she emerged from the white 
foam beneath the fall, and swam along far below the surface 
of the clear water, with her long black hair streaming out 
behind her. 

No description can give you any idea what an animated 
and extraordinary scene it was altogether. While our 
accounts were being settled, preparatory to our departure, 
I occupied myself in looking at some kahilis and feather 
leis. The yellow ones, either 
of Oo or Mamo feathers, 
only found in this island, are 
always scarce, as the use of 
them is a prerogative of royalty 
and nobility. Just now it is 
almost impossible to obtain 
one, all the feathers being 
' tabu,' to make a royal cloak 
for Ruth, half-sister of Kame- 
hameha V., and governess of 
Hawaii. Mamo feathers are 
generally worth a dollar a 
piece, and a good lei or loose necklace costs about five 
hundred dollars. Kahilis are also an emblem of rank. 




Feather .Necklace. 



28o DOUBLE CANOES. 

though many people use them as ornaments in their houses. 
They are rather like feather-brooms, two or three feet long, 
and three or four inches across, made of all sorts of feathers, 
tastefully interwoven. I bought one, and a couple of ordi- 
nary his, which were all I could procure. But, alas ! too 
soon all was over, and time for us to go on board. 

On our way off to the yacht we met one of the large 
double canoes coming in under sail from a neighbouring 
island. It consisted of two canoes lashed together, with a 
sort of basket dropped into the water between them, to 
enable them to carry their fish alive. They are not very 
common now, and we were therefore fortunate in meeting 
with one. Mr. Lyman made the men in charge turn her 
round, so as to afford us an opportunity of thoroughly 
examining her. In the time of Kamehameha there was a 
fleet of 10,000 of these canoes, and the king used to send 
them out in the roughest weather, and make them perform 
all sorts of manoeuvres. 

We found the yacht in the usual state of confusion 
incidental to a fresh departure, but everything was soon 
reduced to order, and off we started to steam and sail 
round the north end of the island, but we could not afford 
time to visit the place of Captain Cook's death and burial 
in Keelakeakua Bay. I believe there is not a great deal 
to see, however, and the spot is chiefly interesting from 
its associations. For many years a copper plate, fixed 
to a cocoa-nut tree, marked the spot where Cook fell, 
but this has now been replaced by a monument, the cost 
of which was defrayed by subscriptions at Honolulu. 
Maui is, I believe, a charming place, containing many fine 
plantations, and several gentlemen's estates, laid out in the 
English style. Unfortunately, time forbids our accepting 
some invitations we have received to visit the island, where 
a great many interesting excursions may be made. 

At Kahoolaue there does not seem much to be seen. 
It was purchased some years ago, and pays well as a sheep- 



THE LEPER ISLAND. 



run. Lauai, the next island, is scarcely inhabited, and its 
scenery is not remarkable. 

A sad interest attaches to the island of Molokai, 
which is situated midway between Maui and Oahu. It 
is the leper settlement, and to it all the victims of this 
terrible, loathsome, and incurable disease, unhappily so 
prevalent in the Hawaiian archipelago, are sent, in order 
to prevent the spread of the contagion. They are well 
cared for and looked after in ever}- way ; but their life, 
separated as they inevitably are from all they hold most 
dear, and with no prospect before them but that of a slow 
and cruel death, must indeed be a miserable one. In 
Molokai there are many tiny children, fatherless and 
motherless, parents without children, husbands without 
wives, wives without husbands, 'all condemned,' as Miss 
Lird says, ' to watch the repulsive steps by which each of 
their doomed fellows goes down to a loathsome death, 
knowing that by the same they too must pass.' A French 
priest has nobly devoted himself to the religious and secular 
instruction of the lepers, and up to the present time has 
enjoyed complete immunity from the disease ; but even if 
he escapes this danger, he can never return to his country 
and friends. When one thinks what that implies, and to 
what a death in life he has condemned himself for the sake 
of others, it seems impossible to doubt that he will indeed 
reap a rich reward hereafter. 

At two o'clock we saw Diamond Head, the easternmost 
headland of Oahu, rising from the sea. By four o'clock 
we were abreast of it, and steaming along the coast. The 
cape itself rises grandly from the midst of a grove of cocoa- 
nuts, and the shore all along, with the sharp high mountains 
of the Pali as a background, is fine and picturesque. A 
coral reef stretches far into the sea, and outside this we lay 
waiting for a pilot to take us into Honolulu Harbour. 

It was a long business mooring us by hawsers, from 
our stem and stern, but we were at last safelv secured in a 



Ti82 HONOLULU. 



convenient place, a short distance from the shore, and 
where we should be refreshed by the sea breeze and the 
land breeze alternately. It was six o'clock, and nearly 
dark, when we reached the shore ; the town seemed entirely 
deserted ; all the little wooden houses were shut up, and 
there were no lights visible. The post-office was closed, 
but it was a terrible blow to hear there were no letters for 
ms, though we still hoped that there might be some at the 
British Consulate. 

After a short time we returned on board the yacht in 
time for a late dinner. The first lieutenant of H.M.S. 
4 Fant6me' came on board to pay us a visit during the 
evening, and told us all the latest English and American 
news, lending us some files of English papers — a great 
treat, but no compensation for our disappointment about 
the letters. 

Thursday, December 28//*. — Tom and I went ashore at 
seven o'clock to make arrangements for repairing our 
mizen-sail. We soon found a sailmaker, who promised 
to set all hands to work and complete the job as quickly 
as possible. Being detained by a heavy shower of rain, 
we occupied the time in a gossip about Honolulu and its 
sayings and doings. When the shower was over, we walked 
through the town, which is clean and tidy, being laid out 
in squares, after the American style. The houses are all 
of wood, and generally have verandahs overhanging the 
street. They are seldom more than one story high, and 
nearly all have a little greenery about them. 

We returned to the yacht for breakfast, and, having 
heard that no sharks ever came into the long, narrow bay, 
.were able to enjoy, in perfect peace of mind, the luxury of 
.a bath overboard. It is a great pity that in the tropics, 
.where bathing is such a delightful occupation, and where 
one might swim and paddle about for hours without fear 
of getting cold, it is often impossible even to enter the 
water for fear of the sharks. The natives are such expert 



THE MUSEUM. 283 



swimmers that they do not seem to think much of this 
danger. As the shark turns on his back to take a bite at 
them, they dive underneath him, and he snaps his jaws on 
emptiness. In fact, sometimes the swimmer will take ad- 
vantage of the opportunity to stab his enemy as he passes 
beneath him. 

Scarcely was breakfast over when we were inundated 
with visitors, who kindly came to see what they could do 
for us to make our stay agreeable. We lunched on shore, 
and afterwards went to the new Government buildings and 
museum. From thence we strolled to the various shops 
where ' curios ' and photographs are to be bought, and 
collected a goodly store, returning on board the yacht to 
find more visitors. 

We lunched on shore, and afterwards went with Mr. 
Chambre\ navigating-lieutenant of the ' Fant6me,' to the new 
Government buildings. There 
we found an excellent English 
library, and an interesting col- 
lection of books printed in 
English and Hawaiian, on 
alternate pages, including alpha- 
bets, grammars, the old familiar 
nursery tales, &c. There is also 
a good, though small museum, 
containing specimens of beau- 
tiful corals, shells, seaweeds, 

- ,, , . w ar Necklace. 1 

and fossils ; all the ancient 

native weapons, such as bows, arrows, swords, and spears — 
now, alas ! no longer procurable — sling-stones, and stones 
used in games, back-scratchers, hair-ornaments made of 
sharks' teeth, tortoise-shell cups and spoons, calabashes and 
bowls. There were some most interesting though some- 
what horrible necklaces made of hundreds of braids of 

1 The accompanying sketch is from a necklace that belonged to 
King Kamehameha I .. and was given to me by one of his descendant* 




284 



RELICS OF THE PAST. 



human hair cut from the heads of victims slain by the chiefs 
themselves ; from these braids was suspended a monstrous 
hook carved from a large whale's tooth, called a Paloola, 
regarded by the natives as a sort of idol. There are 
models of ancient and modern canoes — the difference 
between which is not very great, — paddles, inlaid with 
mother-of-pearl, old war-masks, and dresses still in use 
in the less . frequented islands, anklets of human teeth, 
and many other things far too numerous to mention. 
The most interesting of all were, perhaps, the old feather 
#ar cloaks, like the ancient togas of the Romans. They 




aucient War Masks and Costumes from the Musaum at Honolulu. 

are made of thousands of yellow, red, and black feathers, of 

the oo, mamo, and eine, taken singly and fastened into a 
sort of network of string, so as to form a solid fabric, like 
the richest velvet or plush, that glitters like gold in the 
sunlight. The helmets, made of the same feathers, but 
worked on to a frame of perfect Grecian shape, similar to 
those seen in the oldest statuary or on the Elgin marbles, 
are even more artistic and elegant. Whence came the 
idea and design ? Untutored savages could scarcely have 
evolved them out of their own heads. Some element 
of civilisation, and of highly artistic civilisation too, must 



A LAST CHANCE. 28$ 

surely have existed among them at some remote period of 
their history. 

Friday, December 2$t/i. — We had a bath overboard 
early this morning. The children were ashore at half-past 
nine, to go and spend the day at a friend's, at the top of 
the Nuuanu Avenue, on the road to the Pali. 

The King's two sisters came to call on us in the morn- 
ing with their respective husbands. We had a great many 
visitors all the morning, till it was time to go to lunch ; 
after which we went to call on the Princess Likelike, who 
drove me to Waikiki, to see her sister, the Princess Kama- 
kaeha, at her country residence, a very large native grass 
house, with an enormous verandah. Both ladies are 
married to Englishmen, and live partly in English style. 
Inside there is a spacious drawing-room, well furnished, 
with pictures and nick-nacks, where we spent a pleasant 
half-hour in the gloaming. The sunset, over Diamond 
Head, and the sea, which was just visible through the 
cocoa-nut trees, was splendid. Both the Princesses were as 
kind as they could be. The royal family have formed 
quite a little colony here. The King's house is next door, 
and that of the Prince Leleiohoku is not far off. They all 
come here in the most unpretending way possible, and 
amuse themselves by fishing and bathing. 

It had been quite dark for some time, when the Prin- 
cess Likelike dropped me at the hotel at half-past seven, 
where I found Tom and Mr. Freer waiting for me. We 
had a quiet dinner, and then went for a stroll. It was a 
fine clear night, with an almost full moon. The streets 
were full of equestrians, riding about in pairs, for there was 
to be a great riding party up to the Pali to-night, the 
rendezvous for which was in Emma Square. Every lady 
had to select and bring with her an attendant cavalier. 1 

1 The event was thus announced in the 'Hawaiian Gazette:' — 
* THE Last Chance. — We are informed that a riding party will come 
off on Friday evening, when all the yousg ladies who desire to 



286 A HALF-HOLIDAY. 

There are no side-saddles in any of these islands ; all the 
ladies ride like men, and sit their horses very well. They 
wear long riding-dresses, cleverly and elegantly adapted 
to the exigencies of the situation, generally of some light 
material, and of very bright colours. The effect of a large 
party galloping along, with wreaths and garlands in their 
hats and necks, and with their long skirts floating in the 
wind, is therefore picturesque and strange in the extreme. 

Saturday, December 30//Z. — Mabelle, Muriel, and I, were 
up early, and went off to the coral-reef before seven in the 
1 Flash.' It is very beautiful, but not so fine as those we 
have already seen at Tahiti and other South Sea Islands. 
We collected four or five distinct varieties of coral, and 
saw many marvellous creatures swimming about or sticking 
to the rocks. There were several canoes full of natives 
fishing, who appeared highly amused when we ran aground 
on a coral tree, as happened more than once. It was a 
pleasant way of spending the early morning in the bright 
sunshine, peering into the dark blue and light green depths 
below. 

Breakfast was ready by the time we returned on board, 
and soon afterwards I went on shore to pay some visits 
and to do some shopping. We went first to the fish- 
market, which presented a most animated scene, owing not 
only to the abundance of the dead produce of air, earth, 
and sea, which it contained, but to the large number of 
gaily attired purchasers. 

Saturday is a half-holiday in Oahu, and all the plan- 
tation and mill hands came galloping into Honolulu on 
horseback, chattering and laughing, dressed in the brightest 
colours, and covered with flowers. The latter are not so 

participate are expected to be on hand, each with the cavalier whom 
she may invite. As leap-year is drawing to a close it is expected that 
this opportunity will be extensively embraced. Place of rendezvous, 
Emma Square ; time, seven-thirty ; Luminary for the occasion, a full 
moon.' 



FISH ALIVE. 287 



plentiful nor so beautiful as in Tahiti, but still, to our 
English eyes, they appear very choice. For fruit, too, 
we have been spoilt in the South Seas. The fish-market 
here, however, is unrivalled. 

Fish — raw or cooked — is the staple food of the inhabit- 
ants, and almost everybody we saw had half-a-dozen or 
more brilliant members of the finny tribe, wrapped up in 
fresh green banana leaves, ready to carry home. Shrimps 
are abundant and good. They are caught both in salt and 
fresh water, and the natives generally eat them alive. 




putting them into their mouths, ana either letting them 
hop down their throats, or crushing them between their teeth 
while they are still wriggling about. It looks a very nasty 
thing to do, but, after all, it is not much worse than our 
eating oysters alive. 

From the fish-market we went to the prison, a large 
and apparently admirably managed establishment, built of 
stone, and overlooking the harbour. After a pleasant drive 
along shady fragrant roads, v/e returned to Emma Square, 
to hear the excellent performance of the Saturday after- 



itS A POI SUPPER. 



noon band. There was a good assemblage of people, oc 
horseback, in carriages, and on foot, and crowds of children, 
all more or less white, languid, and sickly-looking. Poor 
mites ! I suppose the climate is too hot for European con- 
stitutions. Still, they abound among the foreigners, while 
the natives are gradually, but surely, dying out. Among 
the whole royal family there is only one child, a dear 
little girl of rather more than a year old. Princess Kauilani 
('Sent from Heaven') she is always called, though she has 
a very long string of additional names. She is heiress- 
presumptive to the throne, and is thought a good deal 
of by everybody. Among twenty of the highest chiefs' 
families there is only one baby. On the other hand, all 
the foreign consuls, ministers, missionaries, and other white 
residents, appear to have an average of at least half a dozen 
in each family. 

After the performance was over, we walked to the Prin- 
cess Likelike's house, where we were entertained at a pot 
supper. The garden was illuminated, the band played and 
a choir sang alternately, while everybody sat out in the 
verandah, or strolled about the garden, or did what they 
liked best. Prince Leleiohoku took me in to supper, which 
was served in the native fashion, in calabashes and on 
leaves, laid on mats on the floor, in the same manner as 
the feast at Tahiti. The walls of the dining-room were 
made of palm-leaves and bananas, and the roof was com- 
posed of the standards of the various members of the royal 
family, gracefully draped. At one end of the long table, 
where the Prince and I sat, there was his special royal 
standard, as heir-apparent, and just behind us were stationed 
a couple of women, with two large and handsome kahilis, 
which they waved incessantly backwards and forwards. 
The viands were much the same as at Tahiti — raw seaweed, 
which was eaten with each mouthful, being substituted for 
the chopped cocoa-nut and salt-water. The carved koa 
bowls, which were in constant requisition as finger-glasses. 



TWENTY-OX POWER. 389 

were specially elegant and useful-looking articles. Pot is 
generally eaten from a bowl placed between two people, by 
dipping three fingers into it, giving them a twirl round, and 
then sucking them. It sounds rather nasty ; but, as a 
matter of fact, it is so glutinous a mixture that you really 
only touch the particles that stick to your fingers. The 
latter you wash after each mouthful, so that there is 
nothing so very dreadful about it after all. There was a 
quantity of raw fish, which I did not touch, but which 
some of our party thought most excellent, besides dried 
and cooked fish, which seemed very good, fried candle-nuts, 
baked pig, and many other delicacies. We could get 
however, nothing to drink. After supper, we returned to 
the house, where we found an abundance of champagne 
and other wines, cakes, and biscuits. 

About twelve o'clock we thought it was time to say 
good-bye, as it was Saturday night. Beneath a brilliant 
full moon the drive to the wharf and row off in the boat 
were delightful. 

Sunday, December 31st. — I was on deck at six o'clock, 
and saw what I had often heard about — a team of twenty 
oxen, driven by a man in a cart, drawing by means of a 
rope, about a quarter of a mile in length, a large ship 
through the opening in the reef, the man and cattle being 
upon the coral. 1 

About half-past eight Mabelle and I were just going 
overboard for a swim, when I thought I saw the upper fin 
of an old familiar enemy, and directly afterwards the cry 
was echoed all over the ship, 'A shark, a shark 1' It was a 

1 The following notice appeared in the Hawaiian Gazette recently : 
«To be Repaired.— That staunch little craft the " Pele," which Capt 
Brown has for so long a time successfully commanded, is now being 
hauled up for the purpose of repairs. She will probably be laid up 
for six or eight weeks, and in the meantime the antique plan of towing 
vessels in and out of the haibour with teams of oxen on the reef will 
be resumed * 



ago THE BATHER'S ENEMY. 

ground shark, and very nearly aground in the shallow 
water. They say this is the worst kind of all, and on 
making inquiry I was told tnat the safest way to enjoy a 
dip here is to bathe with a number of other people. The 
splashing and noise made by a whole ship's company frighten 
the sharks away. This discovery puts an end therefore to 
our hopes of enjoying an occasional peaceful bath. 

We went to eleven o'clock service at the cathedral. It 
is a pleasant small building, beautifully cool, and well 
adapted to this climate. The Bishop was unfortunately 
away, but the service was well performed. 

Later, Tom read the evening service to the men, and we 
afterwards landed and dined late at the hotel ; so late, in- 
deed, that we could hardly get anything to eat, and they 
began to shut up the room and put out the lights before 
we had half done. Luckily, we were a large party, and an 
indignant protest and threatened appeal to the landlord 
brought the Chinese waiters to their senses, and induced 
them to grant us half an hour's law. On our way back to 
the boat, the streets looked much more lively than they 
had hitherto done, being full of people returning from rides, 
drives, and excursions into the country. As a rule, directly 
after dark not a creature is to be seen about the streets, 
for every one disappears in the most mysterious manner. 

We went on board, and sat in the calm moonlight, 
thinking and talking over the events of the year, whose 
end was so swiftly approaching, and wondering what its 
successor may have in store for us. So ends, with all its 
joys and sorrows, its pleasures and pains, its hopes and 
fears, for us, the now old year, 1876, 



CHAPTER XVII. 

HONOLULU— DEPARTURE FOR JAPAN. 

Yean following years, steal something every day ; 
At last they steal us from ourselves away. 

Monday, January ist, 1877. — At midnight we were 
awakened by our ship's bell, and that of the ' Fantome,' 
being struck violently sixteen times. For the moment I 
could not imagine what it meant, and thought it must be 
an alarm of fire ; indeed, it was not until Tom and I 
reached the deck, where we found nearly all the ship's com- 
pany assembled at the top of the companion, and were 
greeted with wishes for 'A happy New Year, and many of 
them,' that we quite realised that nothing serious was the 
matter. Soon the strains of sweet music, proceeding from 
the Honolulu choirs, which had come out in boats to serenade 
us, fell upon our ears. The choristers remained alongside 
for more than an hour, singing English and American 
sacred and secular hymns and songs, and then went off to 
the ' Fant6me,' where they repeated the performance. The 
moon shone brightly ; not a ripple disturbed the surface of 
the water ; the cocoa-trees at Waikiki, and the distant 
mountains near the Pali, were all clearly defined against 
the dark blue sky. It was altogether a romantic and deli- 
cious scene, and we found it difficult to tear ourselves away 
from the sweet sounds which came floating over the sea. 

When I again went on deck, at half-past six, there was 
a large double canoe close to the yacht, crowded with people. 
It was difficult to make out what they were doing, for 



2 9 2 A HAWAIIAN DRAWING-ROOM. 

they appeared to be sitting on a great heap of something, 
piled up between the two canoes. Our sailors suggested 
that it must be 'some sort of a New Year's set out' I 
ordered the 'Flash' to be got ready, and went with the 
children to make a closer investigation ; and, as we ap- 
proached, we could see that the pile that had puzzled us 
was a huge fishing-net The tide here is very uncertain ; 
but as soon as the water is low enough, they stretch the 
long net right across the narrow mouth of the harbour, 
and so secure an enormous quantity of fish of various kinds. 
It was a really good New Year's haul, and provided a 
hearty meal for a great many people. 

Mabelle and I went at twelve o'clock to the Queen's 
New Year's reception, held in the other wing of the palace. 
Having driven through the pretty gardens, we were received 
at the entrance by the Governor, and ushered through two 
reception rooms into the royal presence. The Queen 
was dressed in a European court-dress, of blue and white 
material, with the Hawaiian Order of the Garter across her 
breast Two maids of honour were also in court-dress. 
Of the other ladies, some were in evening, some in morning 
dress, some with bonnets and some without ; but their cos- 
tumes were all made according to the European fashion, 
except that of her Highness Ruth, the Governess of Hawaii 
who looked wonderfully well in a rich white silk native 
dress, trimmed with white satin. She had a necklace of 
orange-coloured oo feathers round her neck, and dark yel- 
low alamanda flowers in her hair. This native costume is 
a most becoming style of dress, especially to the chiefs and 
chiefesses, who are all remarkably tall and handsome, with 
a stately carriage and dignified manner. The Queen stood 
in front of the throne, on which were spread the royal 
robes, a long mantle of golden feathers, without speck or 
blemish. On each side stood two men, dressed in black, 
wearing frock-coats, and capes of red, black, and yellow 
feather? over their shoulders, and chimney-pot hats on their 



STATE KAHILIS. 293 



heads. In their hands they held two enormous kahilis of 
black 00 feathers, with handsome tortoise-shell and ivory 
handles. They were at least eight feet high altogether, 
and the feathers were about six inches across. 

The Princess presented Mabelle and me to her Majesty, 
and we had a short conversation through a lady interpreter. 
It is always an embarrassing thing to carry on a conversa- 
tion in this way, especially when you find yourself in the 
midst of a square formed by a large crowd of ladies, who 
you fancy are all gazing at you, the one stranger present, 
and I was glad when fresh people arrived, and her Majesty's 
attention was claimed elsewhere. 

Queen Kapiolani is a nice-looking woman, with a very 
pleasing expression of countenance. She is the grand- 
daughter of the heroic Princess Kapiolani, who, when the 
worship and fear of the goddess Pel6 were at their height, 
walked boldly up to the crater of Kilauea, in defiance of 
the warnings and threats of the high-priestess of the idola- 
trous rites, proclaiming her confidence in the power of her 
God, the God of the Christians, to preserve her. This act 
did much to assist in the establishment of Christianity in 
the Island of Hawaii, and to shake the belief of the native 
worshippers of Pele* in the power of the fearful goddess. 

The Princess showed me round the room which contains 
the portraits of the kings and queens of the Sandwich 
Islands for many generations, the early ones attired in their 
feather capes, the later ones dressed in European costumes. 
Most of them were the work of native artists, but the por- 
traits of Kamehameha II. and his queen were painted, 
during their visit to England, by a good artist Their 
Majesties are depicted in the height of the fashion of the 
day, the king wearing a blue coat and brass buttons, with 
many orders on his breast, the queen having on a very 
short-waisted, tight-fitting white satin dress, a turban sur- 
mounted by a tremendous plume of white feathers, and a 
pearl necklace and bracelets : rather a trying costume for 



*94 



PORTRAIT GALLERY. 



a handsome woman with a dark complexion and portly 
figure. They both died in England, and their remains 
were brought back here for burial, in H.M.S. 'Blonde,' 
commanded by Lord Byron. There was also a portrait of 
Admiral Thomas, whose memory is highly reverenced here 
for the happy way in which he succeeded in terminating 
the disputes arising out of our claim to the island in 1843, 
and in restoring King Kamehameha III. to his own again. 





Feathered Cloak and Helmets. 



The collection likewise included excellent portraits of Louis 
Philippe and Napoleon III. Curiously enough, each of 
these was sent off from France to the Sandwich Islands, by 
way of Cape Horn, while the original was in the zenith of 
his power and fame ; and each reached its destination after 
the original had been deposed and had fled to England for 
refuge. 

But the most interesting object of all was still to come — 
the real feather cloak, cape, and girdle of the Kamehamehas, 




V< ' f 0< 



-^u r. \ f. 



^^KS^WSji 



A LADY OF CEYLON. 



ROYAL ROBES. 295 



not generally to be seen, except at a coronation or christ- 
ening, but which the Princess Kamakaeha, in her capacity 
of Mistress of the Robes, had kindly ordered to be put 
out for my inspection. The cloak, which is now the only 
one of the kind in existence, is about eleven feet long by 
five broad, and is composed of the purest yellow, or rather 
golden, feathers, which, in the sunlight, are perfectly gor- 
geous, as they have a peculiar kind of metallic lustre, quite 
independent of their brilliant colour. 



The Pali.O&hn 

On leaving the palace I had intended to get some lunch 
at the hotel, but found that establishment was closed to 
the general public, and was in the possession of a native 
teetotal society ; so I was obliged to return to the yacht. At 
half-past three, however, we all went ashore again, and set 
out on horseback, a large party, for an excursion to the 
Pali, the children, servants, and provisions preceding us in 
a light two-horse American wagon. We rode through 
the Nuuanu Avenue, and then up the hills, along a mode- 
rately good road, for about seven miles and a* half. This 



*9& A HAWAIIAN BALL. 

brought us into a narrow gorge in the midst of the moun- 
tains, from which we emerged on the other side of the 
central range of hills, forming the backbone of the island. 
The view from this point was beautiful, though I think 
that the morning would be a better time to enjoy it, as, 
with a setting sun, the landscape was all in shadow. The 
change of temperature, too, after the heat of Honolulu, was 
quite astonishing, considering the short distance we had 
come — about eight miles only. The carriage could not 
go quite to the top of the mountain, and after descending a 
short distance to where it had been left, we dismounted and 
spread our dinner on the ground ; but darkness overtook 
us before we had finished. Matches and lamps had 
of course been forgotten ; so that the business of packing 
up was performed under circumstances of great difficulty. 
The ride down, in the light of the almost full moon, was 
delightful. 

We were on board by half-past seven, and went ashore 
to a ball at nine o'clock. The dance took place in the large 
room of the Hawaiian Hotel, and was a great success. 
The Royal band played for us, and there was neither stuffi- 
ness nor crowding, nor were there any regulations as to 
dress, gentlemen and ladies coming in evening or morning 
dress, as it suited them best. The Governor and most of the 
English present, including our own party, wore evening dress, 
and the officers of the ' Fantome ' were in uniform. Every 
door and window was open, there was a large verandah 
to sit in, a garden to stroll about in between the dances, 
and an abundance of delicious iced lemonade — very differ- 
ent from the composition thus named which is generally 
met with in London assemblies — to drink. At half-past 
twelve, when people were beginning to disperse, we took 
our departure, Captain Long taking us off to the yacht in 
his boat. 

There is to be another ball on Thursday night, for 
which everybody is most anxious that we should stay, as it 



THE KING ON BOARD. 297 

is to be rather a large affair. In order that you may see 
the Hawaiian fashion of sending out cards, I copy the 
form of invitation we received : — 



«_>%? /i/eajale e>/ via v?o??i/i.anti c/ \yfct. ana \stflU. 
%j/tm. '^AJ laMau €J 4e<7€ce66?a at a isacicuAtwn &)au, 
at //ie i£toaivauan ^/bcfe/, 
ON THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 4, 1877, AT 8 O'CLOCK. 

FO* THE 

Mr*. y*i. Make* and Mrt. J. S. McGmv will kindly act as matron* of the evmixg . 



femattn, 

FO* THE COMMITTED 



Tuesday, January 2nd. — At eleven o'clock, the King, 
who was rather better, went on board the ' Fantome,' saw 
the men at quarters, and witnessed the firing of a couple of 
shots at a target, and shortly before twelve paid us a visit, 
accompanied by the Prince Leleiohoku and others. His 
Majesty is a tall, fine-looking man, with pleasant manners, 
and speaks English perfectly and fluently. He and the 
Prince visited and examined every corner of the yacht, 
and looked, I think, at almost every object on board. The 
pictures, curiosities, engines, and our various little contri- 
vances for economising space, seemed to interest them the 
most. The inspection occupied at least an hour and a 
half ; and when it was over, we had a long chat on deck 
on various subjects. The Prince of Wales's visit to India, 
and the Duke of Edinburgh's voyage round the world, were 
much discussed. I think the King would like to use them 
as a precedent, and see a little more of the world him- 
self. His voyage to, and stay in America, he thoroughly 
enjoyed. 



THE QUEEN'S VISIT. 



It was two o'clock before our visitors left ; and a quarter 
of an hour later the Queen and her sister arrived. Her 
Majesty and her sister made quite as minute an inspection 
of the yacht as her royal consort and his brother had done 
before them. We had arranged to be 'at home ' to all our 
kind friends in Honolulu at four o'clock, at which hour pre- 
cisely the Governor sent the Royal band on board to enliven 
the proceedings. Soon our other visitors began to arrive ; 
but the Queen appeared to be so well amused that she did 
not leave until five o'clock. By half-past six, the last of 
our guests (over 150 in number) had said farewell, and 
there only remained the band to be shown round and 
feasted after their labours. Tom went on board the ' Fan- 
t6me ' to dine, and to meet the British, French, German, 
and American representatives. We went to the hotel ; and 
I must say that I never in my life felt more thoroughly 
worn out than I did that night, after standing about and 
receiving and entertaining all the day. 

Wednesday, January 3rd. — This was sure to be a dis- 
agreeable day, since it was to be the concluding one of our 
short stay in this pleasant place. The final preparations 
for a long voyage had also to be made ; stores, water, and 
live stock to be got on board, bills to be paid, and adieux 
to be made to kind friends. 

I was on deck at six o'clock, in order to take some 
photographs and to stow away the coral, shells, curiosities, 
and presents of various kinds, that the King, Queen, Prince 
and Princess, as well as other kind friends, had sent us. 
Before seven the yacht was surrounded by boats, and 
the deck was quite impassable, so encumbered was it with 
all sorts of lumber, waiting to be stowed away, until the 
boats could be hoisted on board and secured for the 
voyage. The large mizen-sail, which had just been repaired 
and sent on board, looked enormous as it lay on the deck, 
surrounded by hen-coops, sheep, geese, sacks of coal, and 
baskets and parcels of every size and shape. One really 



THE HOSPITAL. 



"began to wonder whether space could possibly be found on 
board for such a miscellaneous collection. Several visitors, 
who had been unable to come yesterday, arrived in the midst 
of the confusion. They must have carried away in their 
minds a different impression of the yacht from what they 
would have done had they seen her looking as trim and 
smart as she did yesterday. It could not, however, be 
helped ; for the departure of a small vessel, with forty 
people on board, on a voyage of a month's duration, is a 
matter requiring considerable preparation. 

At eleven o'clock we landed and went to see the interior 
of the Queen's Hospital. It is a fine and well-kept building, 
containing, at the time of our visit, about ninety patients, 
the men occupying the lower, the women the upper story. 
Each ward is tastefully decorated with bouquets, and the 
name is written up in bright mauve bougainvillea or scarlet 
hibiscus, tacked on to white calico. Many of the conva- 
lescents wore wreaths and garlands of flowers, and even 
those in bed had a few beside them, or in some cases a 
single spray laid on the coverlet. The effect was bright 
and cheerful ; and it seemed a kind and sensible idea to 
endeavour to gratify, instead of to repress, the instinctive 
love of flowers universally felt by the natives of these and 
of the South Sea Islands. 

From the hospital we went to pay farewell visits, to 
lunch at the hotel, and to settle sundry bills. At three we 
were to go to the Royal Mausoleum. This was a special 
privilege, and, I believe, the greatest compliment that has 
been paid to us anywhere. No foreigners are allowed to 
enter, except admirals on the station ; and very few inhabi- 
tants of Honolulu have ever seen the interior. The King 
has one key, the Dowager Queen Emma another, and the 
Minister of the Interior the third. 

On our way up the hill to the Mausoleum, there was a 
funeral going on, very much after the style of an Irish wake 
in one of the dwellings of the poorer class. The house was 



300 THE ROYAL MAUSOLEUM. 

decorated with flags, and was crowded with people, all 
dressed in black, and generally with bright yellow leis over 
their heads and necks. They had evidently come from 
some distance, judging by the number of carts and wagons 
drawn up outside the door„ Several people were sitting in 
an upper verandah. The corpse was laid out in the lower 
room, facing the road, as we could see through the open 
windows and door. It was surrounded by mourners, and 
four women were waving large kahilis slowly backwards 
and forwards in front of it. 

The Princess herself met us at the Mausoleum, which is 
a small but handsome stone Gothic building, situated above 
the Nuuanu Avenue, on the road to the Pali. It commands 
a fine view over land and sea, and the gentle breezes waft 
through the open windows sweet scents from the many 
fragrant trees and flowers by which it is surrounded. There 
lay the coffins of all the kings of Hawaii, their consorts, and 
their children, for many generations past. The greater part 
were of polished koa wood, though some were covered with 
red velvet ornamented with gold. Many of them appeared to 
be of an enormous size ; for, as I have already observed, the 
chiefs of these islands have almost invariably been men of 
large and powerful frames. The bones of Kamehameha I. 
were in a square oak chest. At the foot of the coffin of 
Kamehameha IV. there were two immense kahilis about 
twelve feet high, one of rose-coloured, the other of black 
feathers, with tortoise-shell handles. The remains of King 
Lunalilo are not here, having been buried just outside the 
native church in the town. In the vestibule to the tombs 
of the kings rests the coffin of Mr. Wylie, described as ' the 
greatest European benefactor of the Hawaiian people.' 
A ship now in the harbour bears his name, and one con- 
stantly meets with proofs of the respect and reverence in 
which his name is held. 

The Princess drove us down to the wharf, where we 
said good-bye to her with feelings of the greatest regret. 




STREET SCENE IN TOKIO. 



FAREWELLS. 301 

I cannot express the sorrow that we all feel at leaving the 
many kind friends we have met with in ' dear Honolulu,' 
as Muriel calls it. But the farewells were at last over, 
the anchor was weighed, and the yacht, which was by this 
time once more in apple-pie order, began slowly to move 
ahead. Suddenly we heard shouts from the shore, and saw 
a boat pursuing us in hot haste. We stopped, and received 
on board a basket of beautiful ferns and other parcels from 
different friends. A second boat was then seen coming off 
to us, which contained a fine dish of delicious honey and 




Zeus cxliaria 



some flowers. The order to go ahead again was scarcely- 
given, before a third boat, in, if possible, hotter haste than 
the two previous ones, put off after us, bringing some things 
the laundress had forgotten. 

Now we are fairly off; and now surely the last link that 
binds us to the shore is broken. But no ! there are fare- 
well signals and hearty cheers yet to come from the officers 
and men of the ' Fant6me ; ' and, still further out, on the 
top of the tiny lighthouse at the mouth of the narrow pas- 
sage through the reef, stand other friends, cheering and 
waving their handkerchiefs. They had rowed out thither, 



3C2 PARTING CHEERS. 

being determined to give us really the parting cheer, and 
till the shades of twilight fell we could see their white 
handkerchiefs fluttering, and hear their voices borne on 
the evening breeze, as we meandered slowly through the 
tortuous channels into deep water. 

Once outside we found there was plenty of wind and a 
heavy roll, which sent me quickly to bed. 



CHAPTER XVIII.- 

HONOLULU TO YOKOHAMA. 

As slew our ship her foamy track 
Against the wind was cleaving, 
Her trembling pennant still look ' d bach 
To that dear isle 'twas leaving. 

Thursday, January 4th. — It was very rough, but fortu- 
nately the wind came from a favourable quarter. Sorry 
as we all were to bid farewell to these charming islands, I 
could not help rejoicing that we had picked up a fresh fair 
wind so unexpectedly soon. 

While we were at Honolulu a regular epidemic of influ- 
enza prevailed in the place, affecting both man and beast. 
This is often the case during the prevalence of the south 
wind, which blew, more or less, during the whole of our 
stay. We none of us suffered from the malady at the time, 
but now nearly everybody on board is affected, and some 
very severely. 

Friday, January $th. — The fresh fair breeze still con- 
tinues. At noon we had sailed 240 knots. The head-sea 
we could dispense with, as it makes us all very uncomfort- 
able. Muriel, Baby, the three maids, and several of the 
crew, are ill to-day with influenza, and I have a slight 
touch of it, so I suppose it will go right through the ship. 
Towards the evening the breeze increased to a gale. 

Saturday, January 6th. — The gale increased during the 
night, and the head-sea became heavier. There was a good 
deal of rain in the course of the day. The wind dropped 
about sunset, and was succeeded by intervals of calm, with 



304. BABY ILL. 



occasional sharp squalls. Baby was very poorly all day, 
but seemed better at night. We have now regularly settled 
down to our sea life again, and, if only the children 
recover, I hope to get through a good deal of reading and 
writing between this and Japan. At present they occupy 
all my time and attention, but I think, like the weather, 
they have now taken a turn for the better. 

Sunday, January yth. — A very rough and disagreeable 
day, with much rain. All the morning we rolled about, 
becalmed, in a heavy swell. Steam was ordered at half- 
past twelve, but before it was up the fair wind had returned 
so the fires were put out. We had the Litany at eleven, 
and a short service, without a sermon, at four. 

Baby was very ill all night. Everything was shut up on 
account of the torrents of rain, so that the heat was almost 
insufferable, and we tossed and tumbled about in the most 
miserable manner. 

Monday, January %th. — All the early part of the morn- 
ing we were in the greatest anxiety about Baby ; she could 
hardly draw her breath, and lay in her cot, or on her 
nurse's lap, almost insensible, and quite blue in the face, 
in spite of the application of mustard, hot water, and every 
remedy we could think of. The influenza with her has taken 
the form of bronchitis and pleurisy. The other children 
are still ailing. Heavy squalls of wind and rain, and con- 
tinuous rolling, prevailed throughout the day. 

Tuesday, January gt/i. — The wind fell light, and the 
weather improved ; but we tumbled about more than 
ever. The thermometer in the nursery stood at 90 . The 
children are a shade better. 

Wednesday, January 10th. — Very hot, and a flat calm. 
Steam was up at 7.30 a.m. Mabelle is convalescent ; 
Muriel not so well ; Baby certainly better. In the after- 
noon one of the boiler-tubes burst. It was repaired, and 
we went on steaming. In the evening it burst again, and 
was once more repaired, without causing a long stoppage. 



LOSING A DAY. 305 

{Thursday, January nth, had no existence for us, as, 
in the process of crossing the 180th meridian, we have lost 
a day.) 

Friday, January 12th. — Wednesday morning with us 
was Tuesday evening with people in England, and we were 
thus twelve hours in advance of them. To-day the order 
of things is reversed, and we are now twelve hours behind 
our friends at home. Having quitted one side of the map 
of the world (according to Mercator's projection), and 
entered upon the other half, we begin to feel that we are 
at last -really 'homeward bound.' 

At four a.m. Powell woke us with the announcement 
that the boiler-tube had again burst, and that we had con- 
sequently ceased steaming. Letting off steam, and blowing 
out the boiler, made a tremendous noise, which aroused 
everybody in the ship. It was a lovely morning, but a flat 
calm, and the sun rose magnificently. The few light clouds 
near the surface of the water caught and reflected the rays 
of light most brilliantly before the sun itself appeared, and 
assumed all manner of fanciful shapes. 

About six o'clock a very light breeze sprang up, which 
increased during the day ; but the sea remained perfectly 
calm. We think we must have got into the trade again. 
This weather is indeed a luxury after all the knocking 
about we have lately gone through ; and I feel as if I could 
never rest enough. The constant effort to maintain one's 
balance, whether sitting, standing, or moving about, has 
been most fatiguing, and the illness of the children has 
made matters worse. Baby is, I hope, now quite out of 
danger. 

Saturday, January 13/*//. — The engineers made up their 
minds that we were in the trade winds again yesterday, and 
that we should not want the engines for some days. They 
therefore did not hurry on with the repairs as they should 
have done. This morning there was a calm, and when 
Tom ordered steam to be got up at once, the reply was, 



3 o6 HEAVY SEA. 



'Please, sir, the engine won't be ready till night' This 
was annoying ; but they worked extra hard all day, and by 
4 p.m. steam was raised. At six a nice little breeze 
sprang up, which freshened during the evening, and at 
midnight orders were given to stop steaming. 

We had another bad night of it— a head wind, the sea 
washing over the decks, everything shut up, and the ther- 
mometer standing at 90 . 

Sunday, January i\th. — I was on deck at 4 a.m. 
The Southern Cross, the Great Bear, and the North Star. 
were shining with a brilliancy that eclipsed all the other 
stars. 

During the day the wind freshened to a squally gale. 
Sometimes we were going ten, sometimes thirteen, and 
sometimes fifteen knots through the water, knocking about 
a good deal all the while. Service was an impossibility ; 
cooking and eating, indeed, were matters of difficulty. 
It rained heavily, and the seas came over the deck con- 
tinually. 

Many of the sailors and servants were ill. I was 
hopelessly so. Nothing annoys me more than to find 
that, after having sailed tens and tens of thousands of 
miles, I cannot cure myself of sea-sickness. I can stand a 
good deal more rolling than I once could ; but still, many 
are the days when nothing but the firmest determination 
not to think about it, but to find something to do, and to 
do it with all my might, keeps me on my feet at all. 
Fewer, happily, are the days when struggling is of no 
avail, when I am utterly and hopelessly incapacitated, 
ignominiously and literally laid flat on my back, and when 
no effort of will can enable me to do what I most 
wish to accomplish. If only some physician could invent 
a sovereign remedy for sea-sickness, he would deserve well 
of his country, and of mankind in general. 

Monday, January l$th. — I woke once or twice in the 
night, and felt exactly as if I were being pulled backwards 



THE LADRONES. J07 



through the water by my hair. We were rushing and 
tearing along at such a pace, against a head sea, that it 
almost took one's breath away. But at noon we were 
rewarded for all discomfort by finding that we had run 298 
sea, or 343 land miles, in 24 hours, and that between 8.14 
yesterday and 8.15 to-day we had made 302 knots, or 347 
land miles — nearly 350 miles in the 24 hours — under very 
snug canvas, and through a heavy sea. The wind still 
continued fair and fresh, but the sea was much quieter, 
and we all felt comparatively comfortable. More sails 
were set during the afternoon. Some albatrosses and 
long-tailed tropic birds were seen hovering about us. The 
moon begins to give a good light now, and we found it 
very pleasant on deck this evening. 

Wednesday, January iytk. — It was a fine warm morning, 
and we got the children on deck for the first time for ten 
days. 

Thursday, January i8t/t. — Between breakfast and lunch 
we sailed over the spot where Tarquin Island is marked on 
the chart, and, between lunch and dinner, over a nameless 
reef, also marked on the chart. A good look-out had been 
kept at the masthead and in the bows, but not a trace 
could be seen of either of these objects in any direction. 
The weather kept clear and bright, and the sea was much 
calmer. 

During the last five days we have covered 1,221 sea 
miles. 

Monday, January 22nd. — At daylight Asuncion Island 
was still visible. It is of volcanic origin, and is in the form 
of a perfect sugar-loaf, 2,600 feet high, rising out of the 
sea, exactly as I had expected the Peak of Teneriffe to 
appear. I should like to have landed on the islands 
Agrigan or Tinian, so as to see the interesting remains left 
by the ancient inhabitants. Some people say that they 
resemble Aztec remains ; others, that they are like those 
of the more modern Peruvians. All authorities, however, 



308 



POLYNESIAN ANTIQUITIES. 



seem to agree that they are like those on Easter Island, 
the south-east extremity of Polynesia, this being the north- 
west. 




'-> ^5fe->: 



Amateur .Navigation. 



We were close-hauled all day ; the wind was strong, 
and the sea rough and disagreeable. 

Tuesday, January 23rd. — Still close-hauled, and still a 
heavy swell. I felt very ill, and could scarcely move my 



THE GIG CARRIED AWAY. 309 

head for neuralgia. The galley boiler burst to-day, so we 
are now dependent on the one in the forecastle. During 
the night we passed the Euphrosyne rock. It looks like a 
ship in full sail, and abounds with turtle, fish, and sea- 
elephants. 

Wednesday, January 2^th. — Very much colder, though 
we are only just outside the tropics. The wind was rather 
freer, and we had a beautiful moonlight night 

Friday, January 26th. — During the night the breeze 
freshened, and in the morning increased to a gale. Steam 
was therefore let off. It has been a miserable day ; so cold, 
wet, and rough, that it was impossible to do anything, or 
to sit anywhere, except on the floor. 

About 9 p.m. I was sitting in the deck-house, when I 
heard a tremendous crash, and, looking out, saw that the 
fore gig davits had been carried away, taking with them a 
piece of the rail, stanchion, and cavil. The gig was hanging 
from the after davits, one might say, by a thread, splash- 
ing and dashing in and out of the water, and crashing and 
splintering against the side of the yacht All hands were 
speedily on deck ; and in spite of the risk they ran, and of 
the remonstrances of their comrades, two of the gig's crew 
jumped into her with a rope, which they tried to pass round 
her. It was a difficult task in that heavy sea, and many times 
they failed, and we constantly feared that men, boat, and all 
were gone. Half a dozen of the crew caught hold of the 
rigging outside, put their backs against the yacht, and with 
legs outstretched tried to keep the gig off the ship's side, 
while all the loose gear was floating away out of her. At 
last there was a shout of triumph. The rope was round 
her, the men jumped on board the yacht again, whilst 
sailors, stewards, and passengers proceeded to hoist and 
drag the boat in, with all their might and main. Alas ! she 
was only a wreck. Her sides were stove in, her planks 
were started, there was a hole in her bottom, and the 
moon shone through her many cracks. 



3JO MORE GRIEF. 



Saturday, Ja7iuary 27th. — About two o'clock this morn- 
ing the yacht plunged so heavily into a deep sea, that the 
jibboom, a beautiful spar, broke short off, and the foretop- 
gallant mast and topgallant yard were carried away almost 
at the same moment, with a terrible noise. It took about 
eight hours to clear the wreck, all hands working all night ; 
and a very forlorn appearance the deck presented in the 
morning, lumbered up with broken spars, ropes, &c. The 
jibboom fell right across the forefoot of the yacht, and 
now looks as if it had been cut at for weeks with some 
blunt tool. 

The weather cleared a little to-day, but there was still, 
a heavy sea and nearly a head wind. The crew were 
busily engaged in repairing damages. Unfortunately, two 
of them are ill, and so is the carpenter, a specially impor- 
tant person at this juncture. No men could have behaved 
better than they all did after the accident. It was frightful 
to see them aloft in such weather, swinging on the ends of 
the broken spars, as the yacht rolled and pitched about. 
When it comes to a pinch they are all good men and 
true : not that they are perfection, any more than other 
men are. 

Sunday, January 2%th. — It is finer, but bitterly cold. 
Several of my tropical birds are already dead. The little 
pig from Harpe Island, and the Hawaiian geese, look very 
wretched, in spite of all my precautions. 

We had the Litany at eleven, and prayer and a sermon 
at four ; after which Tom addressed the men, paying them 
some well-deserved compliments on their behaviour on 
Friday night. 

The decks were very slippery, and as we kept rolling 
about a good deal there were some nasty falls among the 
passengers. We had a splendid though stormy sunset, which 
did not belie its promise, for the wind shortly afterwards 
became stirrer and stronger, until at last we had two reefs 
down, and were tumbling about in all directions, as we 



STRUCK BY A SEA. 311 

rushed through the water. The dining-tables tilted till they 
could go no further, and then paused to go back again ; but 
not quickly enough, for the glasses began to walk uphill and 
go over the edge in the most extraordinary manner. On 
deck the night looked brilliant but rather terrible. The full 
moon made it as light as day, and illuminated the fountains 
of spray blown from the waves by which we were surrounded. 
Without her heavy jibboom, and with her canvas well 
reefed down, the ' Sunbeam ' rode through it all, dipping 
her head into the sea, shivering from stem to stern, and 
then giving herself a shake, preparatory to a fresh start, 
just like a playful water-bird emerging from a prolonged 
dive. 

At midnight a tremendous sea struck her, and for at 
minute you could not see the yacht at all, as she was com- 
pletely enveloped in spray and foam. Tom said it was 
just like being behind the falls of Niagara, with the water 
coming over you from every quarter at once. It was only 
loose stuff, however, for not a green sea did she take on 
board the whole night through. Our old engineer, who 
has been with us so long, made up his mind that we had 
struck on a rock, and woke up all the servants and told 
them to go on deck. I never felt anything like it before, 
and the shock sent half of us out of our beds. 

Monday, January 2gt/t. — At four o'clock 1 was called 
to go on deck to see the burning mountain. The wind was 
still blowing hard, but we were among the islands, and in 
comparatively smooth water. The full moon still rode high 
in the heavens, her light being reflected in rainbow hues 
from the spray and foam that drifted along the surface of 
the water. On every side were islands and rocks, among 
which the sea boiled, and seethed, and swirled, while the 
roaring breakers dashed against the higher cliffs, casting 
great columns of spray into the air, and falling back in 
heavy rollers and surf. Just before us rose the island 
of Vries, with its cone-shaped volcano, 2,600 feet high, 



312 FUJIYAMA 



emitting volumes of smoke and flame. It was overhung 
by a cloud of white vapour, on the under side of which 
shone the lurid glare of the fires of the crater. Sometimes 
this cloud simply floated over the top of the mountain, from 
which it was quite detached ; then there would be a fresh 
eruption ; and after a few moments' quiet, great tongues of 
flame would shoot up and pierce through the overhanging 
cloud to the heavens above, while the molten lava rose like 
a fountain for a short distance, and then ran down the sides 
of the mountain. It was wondrously beautiful ; and, as a de- 
fence against the intense cold, we wrapped ourselves in furs, 
and stayed on deck watching the scene, until the sun rose 
glorious from the sea, and shone upon the snow-covered 
*sides of Fujiyama, called by the Japanese ' the matchless 
mountain.' It is an extinct crater, of the most perfect 
form, rising abruptly from a chain of very low mountains, 
so that it stands in unrivalled magnificence. This morning, 
covered with the fresh-fallen snow, there was not a spot nor 
a fleck to be seen upon it, from top to bottom. It is said 
to be the youngest mountain in the world, the enormous 
mass having been thrown up in the course of a few days 
only 862 years B.C. 

We reached the entrance to the Gulf of Yeddo about 
nine o'clock, and passed between its shores through hun- 
dreds of junks and fishing boats. I never saw anything 
like it before. The water was simply covered with them ; 
and at a distance it looked as though it would be impos- 
sible to force a passage. As it was, we could not proceed 
very fast, so constantly were the orders to ' slow,' ' stop,' 
' port,' ' starboard,' given ; and I began at last to fear 
that it would be impossible to reach Yokohama without 
running down at least one boat. 

The shores of the gulf, on each side, consist of sharp- 
cut little hills, covered with pines and cryptomerias, and 
dotted with temples and villages. Every detail of the 



THE GULF OF YEDDO. 313 

scene exactly resembled the Japanese pictures one is 
accustomed to see in England ; and it was easy to imagine 
that we were only gazing upon a slowly moving panorama, 
unrolling itself before us. 

It was twelve o'clock before we found ourselves among 
the men-of-war and steamers lying near the port of Yoko- 
hama, and two o'clock before the anchor could be dropped 




During this interval we were surrounded by a swarm of 
boats, the occupants of which clamoured vociferously to 
be allowed on board, and in many cases they succeeded in 
evading the vigilance of the man at the gangway, by going 
round the other side and climbing over the rail. A second 
man was put on guard ; but it was of no use, for we were 



314 FANTASTIC FIGURES. 

invaded from all directions at once. We had a good many 
visitors also from the men-of-war, Japanese and English, 
and from the reporters of newspapers, full of curiosity, 
questions, and astonishment. 

Having at last managed to get some lunch, Tom went 
to bed to rest, after his two hard nights' work, and the rest 
of us went on shore. Directly we landed at the jetty we 
were rushed at by a crowd of jinrikisha men, each drawing 
a little vehicle not unlike a Hansom cab, without the seat 
for the driver — there being no horse to drive. The man 
runs between the shafts, and is often preceded by a leader, 
harnessed on in front, tandem fashion. Each of these 
vehicles holds one person, and they go along at a tre- 
mendous pace. 

We went first to the Consul's, where we got a few letters, 
and then to the Post Office, where many more awaited 
us. We had then to go to various places to order stores, 
fresh provisions, coals, and water, all of which were urgently 
needed on board, and to give directions for the repair of 
boats, spars, &c, with as little delay as possible. All this 
business, including the inevitable search for a good laun- 
dress, lay in the European quarter of the town, the appear- 
ance of which was not remarkable. But the people we met 
in the streets were a study in themselves. The children 
said they looked ' like fans walking about ; ' and it was not 
difficult to understand their meaning. The dress of the 
lower orders has remained precisely the same for hundreds 
of years ; and before I had been ashore five minutes I 
realised more fully than I had ever done before the 
truthfulness of the representations of native artists, with 
which the fans, screens, and vases one sees in England are 
ornamented. 

While we were going about, a letter was brought me, 
containing the sad news (received here by telegram) of the 
death of Tom's mother. It was a terrible shock, coming, 
too, just as we were rejoicing in the good accounts from 



SAD NEWS FROM HOME. 



3*5 



home which our letters contained. I went on board at 
once to break the bad news to Tom. This sad intelligence 
realised a certain vague dread of something, we knew 
not what, which has seemed to haunt us both on our way 

hither. 




Japanese Boats. 



CHAPTER XIX 

YOKOHAMA. 

Heavily plunged the breaking wave. 
And foam flew up the lea', 
Morning and evening the drifted snow 
Fell into the dark grey sea. 

Tuesday, January loth. — When we awoke from our 
slumbers this morning, it was very cold and dark, and 
we heard 
noises of 
a strange 
kind. On m 
going on 
deck to as- 
certain the 
cause of Ipj 
this state 1 
of things, 
we disco- 
vered that 
the sky- 
lights and 

portholes were all covered and 
blocked up with snow, and that 
the water froze as it came out 
of the hose, forming a sheet of 
ice on the deck. Masses of snow 
and ice were falling from the rigging, and everything be- 
tokened that our welcome to Japan would not be a warm one. 




Fujiyama,, Japivn. 



CXTRTOS. 3*7 



After breakfast we had many visitors, and received 
letters from Sir Harry and Lady Parkes, inviting us to go 
up to Yeddo to-morrow for a long day, to settle our 
future plans. 

Having landed, we went with the Consul to the native 
town, to see the curio shops, which are a speciality of the 
place. The inhabitants are wonderfully clever at making 
all sorts of curiosities, and the manufactories of so-called 
' antique bronzes ' and ' old china ' are two of the most 
wonderful sights in Yokohama. The way in which they 
scrape, crack, chip, mend, and colour the various articles, 
cover them with dust, partially clean them, and imitate the 
marks and signatures of celebrated makers, is more credit- 
able to their ingenuity than to their honesty. Still, there 
are a good many genuine old relics from the temples, and 
from the large houses of the reduced Daimios, to be picked 
up, if you go the right way to work, though the supply is 
limited. Dealers are plentiful, and travellers, especially 
from America, are increasing in numbers. When we first 
made acquaintance with the shops we thought they seemed 
full of beautiful things, but even one day's shopping, in 
the company of experienced people, has educated our taste 
and taught us a great deal ; though we have still much to 
learn. There are very respectable-looking lacquer cabinets 
ranging in price from $s. to 20/. But they are only made 
for the foreign market. No such things exist in a Japanese 
home. A really good bit of old lacquer (the best is 
generally made into the form of a small box, a portable 
medicine-chest, or a chow-chow box) is worth from 20/. 
to 200/. We saw one box, about three inches square, which 
was valued at 45/. ; and a collection of really good lacquer 
would be costly and difficult to procure even here. The 
best specimens I have ever seen are at Lady Alcock's ; 
but they are all either royal or princely presents, not to be 
bought with money. The tests of good lacquer are its 
exquisite finish, its satiny, oily feel, and the imposibility of 



JI8 A TEA-HOUSE. 



making any impression on it with your thumb-nail. It is 
practically indestructible, and will wear for ever. All the 
poor as well as the rich people here use it, and have used 
it for centuries, instead of china and glass, for cups, saucers, 
dishes, bowls, which would need to be often washed in 
the hottest of water. It is said that the modern Japanese 
have lost the art of lacquer making; and as an illustra- 
tion I was told that many beautiful articles of lacquer, old 
and new, had been sent from this country to the Vienna 
Exhibition in 1873, but the price put on them was so exor- 
bitant that few were sold, and nearly all had to be sent 
back to Japan. Just as the ship with these things on board 
reached the Gulf of Yeddo, she struck on a rock and sank 
in shallow water. A month or two ago a successful attempt 
was made to raise her, and to recover the cargo, when it was 
found that the new lacquer had been reduced to a state of 
pulp, while the old was not in the least damaged. I tell 
you the tale as it was told to me. 

After a long day's shopping, we went to dine, in real 
Japanese fashion, at a Japanese tea-house. The establish- 
ment was kept by a very pleasant woman, who received us 
at the door, and who herself removed our exceedingly dirty 
boots before allowing us to step on to her clean mats. This 
was all very well, as far as it went ; but she might as well 
have supplied us with some substitute for the objectionable 
articles, for it was a bitterly cold night, and the highly 
polished wood passages and steep staircase felt very cold 
to our shoeless feet. The apartment we were shown into 
was so exact a type of a room in any Japanese house, that 
I may as well describe it once for all. The woodwork of 
the roof and the framework of the screens were all made of a 
handsome dark polished wood, not unlike walnut. The 
exterior walls under the verandah, as well as the partitions 
between the other rooms, were simply wooden lattice-work 
screens, covered with white paper, and sliding in grooves ; 
so that you could walk in or out at any part of the wall you 



JAPANESE DINNER. 319 

chose, and it was, in like manner, impossible to say whence 
the next comer would make his appearance. Doors and 
windows are, by this arrangement, rendered unnecessary, 
and do not exist. You open a little bit of your wall if you 
want to look out, and a bigger bit if you want to step out. 
The floor was covered with several thicknesses of very fine 
mats, each about six feet long by three broad, deliciously 
soft to walk upon. All mats in Japan are of the same size, 
and everything connected with house-building is measured 
by this standard. Once you have prepared your founda- 
tions and woodwork of the dimensions of so many mats, 
it is the easiest thing in the world to go to a shop and buy 
a house, ready made, which you can then set up and 
furnish in the scanty Japanese fashion in a couple of 
days. 

On one side of the room was a slightly raised dais, 
about four inches from the floor. This was the seat of 
honour. On it had been placed a stool, a little bronze orna- 
ment, and a china vase, with a branch of cherry-blossom 
and a few flag-leaves gracefully arranged. On the wall 
behind hung pictures, which are changed every month, 
according to the season of the year. There was no other 
furniture of any sort in the room. Four nice-looking 
Japanese girls brought us thick cotton quilts to sit upon, 
and braziers full of burning charcoal, to warm ourselves 
by. In the centre of the group another brazier was placed, 
protected by a square wooden grating, and over the whole 
they laid a large silk eider-down quilt, to retain the heat. 
This is the way in which all the rooms, even bedrooms, 
are warmed in Japan, and the result is that fires are of 
very frequent occurrence. The brazier is kicked over by 
some restless or careless person, and in a moment the whole 
place is in a blaze. 

Presently the eider-down and brazier were removed, 
and our dinner was brought in. A little lacquer tabic, 
about six inches high, on which were arranged a pair of 



fio BILL OF FARE. 



chop-sticks, a basin of soup, a bowl for rice, a saki cup, and 
a basin of hot water, was placed before each person, whilst 
the four Japanese maidens sat in our midst, with fires to 
keep the saki hot, and to light the tiny pipes with which they 
were provided, and from which they wished us to take a 
whiff after each dish. Saki is a sort of spirit, distilled 
from rice, always drunk hot, out of small cups. In this 
state it is not disagreeable, but we found it exceedingly 
nasty when cold. 

Everything was well cooked and served, though the 
ingredients of some of the dishes, as will be seen from the 
following bill of fare, were rather strange to our ideas. 
Still they were all eatable, and most of them really palat- 
able. 

Soup. 



Shrimps and Seaweed. 



Prawns, Egg Omelette, and Preserved Grapes. 



Fried Fish, Spinach, Young Rushes, and Young Ginger. 



Raw Fish, Mustard and Cress, Horseradish, and Soy. 



Thick Soup, of Eggs, Fish, Mushrooms, and Spinach ; Grilled Fish. 



Fried Chicken, and Bamboo Shoots. 



Turnip Tops and Root Pickled. 



Rice ad libitum in a large bowl. 
Hot Saki, Pipes and Tea. 

The meal concluded with an enormous lacquer box of 
rice, from which all our bowls were filled, the rice being 
thence conveyed to our mouths by means of chop- sticks. 
We managed very well with these substitutes for spoons 
and forks, the knack of using which, to a certain extent, is 
soon acquired. The long intervals between the dishes were 
beguiled with songs, music, and dancing, performed by 



SINGING AND DANCING GIRLS. 321 

professional singing and dancing girls. The music was 
somewhat harsh and monotonous ; but the songs sounded 
harmonious, and the dancing was graceful, though it was 
rather posturing than dancing, great use being made of the 
fan and the long trailing skirts. The girls, who were 
pretty, wore peculiar dresses to indicate their calling, and 
seemed of an entirely different stamp from the quiet, simply 
dressed waitresses whom we found so attentive to our wants. 
Still they all looked cheery, light-hearted, simple creatures, 
and appeared to enjoy immensely the little childish games 
they played amongst themselves between whiles. 

After dinner we had some real Japanese tea, tasting 
exactly like a little hot water poured on very fragrant 
new-mown hay. Then, after a brief visit to the kitchen, 
which, though small, was beautifully clean, we received 
our boots, and were bowed out by our pleasant hostess 
and her attentive handmaidens. 

On our return we had considerable difficulty in pro- 
curing a boat, our own boats being all ashore under repair. 
It was a beautiful moonlight night, but bitterly cold. 
The harbour being so full of shipping, our boatmen were 
at first puzzled how to find the yacht, till we pointed to 
the lights in the deck-house— always a good beacon at 
night in a crowded harbour. 

Wednesday, January list- We left the yacht soon 
after eight o'clock, and started by the 9.34 a.m. train for the 
city formerly called Yeddo, but latterly, since the Mikado 
has resided there, 'f/okio, or eastern capital of Japan. The 
ground was covered with snow, and there were several 
degrees of frost, but the sun felt hot, and all the people 
were sunning themselves in the doorways or wide verandahs 
of their houses. 

Yokohama has been so completely Europeanised, that 
it was not until we had left it that we caught our first 
glimpse of Japanese life ; and the whole landscape and 
the many villages looked very like a set of livingr fans or 



3 22 7 UKIO, LATE YEDDO. 

tea-trays, though somehow the snow did not seem to har- 
monise with it 

We crossed several rivers, and reached Tokio in about 
an hour, when we at once emerged into the midst of a 
clattering, chattering crowd, amongst whom there did not 
seem to be a single European. The reverberation, under the 
glass roof of the station, of the hundreds of pairs of wooden 
clogs, pattering along, was something extraordinary. Giving 
up our tickets, and following the stream, we found ourselves 
surrounded by a still more animated scene, outside the 
station. We were just deliberating what to do next, when 
a smart little Japanese, with a mail-bag over his shoulder, 
stepped forward and said something about Sir Harry 
Farkes. He then popped us all into several double and 
treble-manned jinrikiskas, and started off himself ahead at 
a tremendous pace, shouting and clearing the way for us. 

Tokio is a genuinely Japanese town. Not a single 
foreigner resides within its limits, with the exception of the 
foreign Ministers. There is no hotel nor any place of the 
kind to stay at ; so that, unless you have friends at any of 
the Legations, you must return to Yokohama the same 
day, which makes a visit rather a fatiguing affair. 1 

Our first halting-place was at the Temple of Shiba, 
not far from the station, where most of the Tycoons have 
been buried. It is a large enclosure, many acres in extent, 
in the centre of the city, with walls overgrown with creepers, 
and shadowed by evergreen trees, amid whose branches 
rooks caw, ravens croak, and pigeons coo, as undisturbedly 
as if in the midst of the deepest woodland solitude. I 
had no idea there was anything so beautiful in Japanese 
architecture as this temple. The primary idea in the 
architecture of Japan is evidently that of a tent among 
trees. The lines of the high, overhanging, richly deco- 
rated roofs, with pointed gable ends, are not straight, but 

1 I have since heard that there are two hotels at Tokio, such as 
they are. 



TEMPLE OF SHIBA. 323 

delicately curved, like the suspended cloth of a tent. In 
the same way, the pillars have neither capital nor base, but 
seem to run through the building perpendicularly, without 
beginning or end. The principal temple was burnt down 
a few years ago ; but there are many smaller ones remain- 
ing, built in exactly the same style, and all the tombs are 
perfect Some people say the bodies are enclosed in cof- 
fins, filled with vermilion, but I need hardly say we had 
no opportunity of ascertaining the correctness of this state- 
ment. We entered several of the temples, which are perfect 
marvels of carving, gilding, painting, and lacquer work. 
Their style of decoration may be somewhat barbaric ; but 
what a study they would form for an artist ! Outside, 
where no colour is used, the overhanging roofs and the 
walls are carved with a depth and boldness, and yet a 
delicacy, I have seldom seen equalled ; the doors and rail- 
ings being of massive bronze, brought from the Corea. 
Within, a dim religious light illumines and harmonises a 
dazzling mass of lacquer, gold, and painting. It is the 
grandest burial-place imaginable ; too good for the long 
line of men who have tyrannised over Japan and its 
lawful sovereigns for so many centuries past. 

The streets of Tokio were crowded with a motley 
throng up to the very gates of the citadel, where, within 
the first moat, stand all the yashgis, or residences of the 
Daimios. Each yashgi is surrounded by a blank wall, 
loopholed, and with a tower at each of the four corners. 
Within this outer wall is the court of the retainers, all 
of them ' two-sworded ' men ; then comes a second wall, 
also loopholed, inside which dwell distant relations of the 
Daimio; and then again a third enclosure, guarding the 
Daimio himself, with his immediate belongings. After 
crossing the third moat we reached the Mikado's gardens 
and palace, the public offices, and the residences of the 
foreign Ministers, all of which were formerly occupied by 
the Tycoon, or Shogun, and his ministers. On the waters 



3M 



THE FESTIVAL. 



of the inner moat were thousands of wild ducks and geese. 
Nobody is allowed to harm them, and the birds seem to 
be perfectly aware of this fact, for they disport themselves 
with the greatest confidence. 

The English Embassy is a nice red brick house, built 
in the centre of a garden, so as to be as secure as possible 
from fire or attack. After a most pleasant luncheon we 
looked over the nucleus of a second collection which Lady 
Parkes is beginning to form. Her former beautiful col- 
lection was burnt a few years ago, a most disheartening mis- 
fortune, especially as the opportunities for obtaining really 
old and good things in Japan are diminishing day by day. 

A little later we started in great force, some in carriages 
and some on horseback, attended by running grooms, to 
see something more of the city. These men think no- 
thing of running by the side of a horse and carriage some 
forty miles a day. They form a distinct class, and when 
working on flieir own account wear little clothing. When 
in the service of private individuals they are dressed in 
tight-fitting dark-blue garments, with short capes, fastened 
to their arms, and large hats. 

Just outside the Embassy we passed two of the finest 
of the still existing yashgis, the larger one being used as 
the Home Office, the other as the Foreign Office. 

There is always a festival going on in some part of 
Tokio. To-day there had been a great wrestling-match, 
and we, met all the people coming away. Such crowds of 
jinrikishas, full of gaily dressed and painted women and 
children, with their hair plastered into all sorts of incon- 
ceivable shapes, and decorated with artificial flowers and 
glittering pins ! We met six of the wrestlers themselves, 
riding in jinrikishas — big men, prodigiously fat, and not 
at all, according to our ideas, in fighting or wrestling con- 
dition. One of their jinrikisha men stumbled and fell, just 
as they passed us, and the wrestler shot out, head over 
heels, and lay, a helpless ball of fat, in the middle of the 



DOMESTIC HABITS. 325 

road, till somebody came and picked him up. He was 
not in the least hurt, and, as soon as he was set on his feet 
again, began to belabour the ^ooxjinrikisha man most un- 
mercifully. After a long and delightful drive we arrived 
at the station just in time to catch the train. 

The return journey to Yokohama, in the omnibus-like 
railway carriages, was very cold, and the jinrikisha drive 
to the Grand Hotel colder still ; but a roaring fire and a 
capital dinner soon warmed and comforted us. 

After dinner we looked over a fine collection of photo- 
graphs of Japanese scenery and costumes, and then returned 
to the yacht in the house-boat belonging to the hotel, which 
was prettily decorated with bright-coloured lanterns, and 
which afforded welcome shelter from the biting wind. 

Thursday, February 1st. — Careful arrangements have 
been made for our excursion to the Island of Inoshima, to 
see the great figure of Daibutz. By eight o'clock we had 
landed, and packed ourselves into a funny little shaky 
carriage, drawn by four horses. We drove quickly through 
the town, past the station, along the Tokaido, or imperial 
road, running from one end of the Island of Niphon to the 
other, and on which so many foreigners have been mur- 
dered even within the last ten years. Now, however, it 
is perfectly safe. The houses are one story high, and their 
walls are made of the screens I have already described. 
These screens were all thrown back, to admit the morning 
air, cold as it was. We could consequently see all that was 
going on within, in the sitting-room in front, and even in 
the bedrooms and kitchen. At the back of the house there 
was invariably a little garden to be seen, with a miniature 
rockery, a tree, and a lake ; possibly also a bridge and a 
temple. Even in the gardens of the poorest houses an 
attempt at something of the sort had been made. The 
domestic occupations of the inhabitants being conducted in 
this public manner, a very good idea might be obtained, 
even at the end of a few miles' drive, of how the lower 



326 JAPANESE CONTRARINESS. 

class of Japanese wash and dress themselves and their 
children, how very elaborate the process of hair-dressing is, 
to say nothing of a bird's-eye view of the ground-plan of 
the houses, the method of cooking food, &c. 

As we emerged into the open country the landscape 
became very pretty, and the numerous villages, nestling in 
the valleys at the foot of the various small hills, had a 
most picturesque appearance. At a stone-quarry that we 
passed, on the side of a mountain, there were about 
seventy men at work, without any clothing, though the 
thermometer was far below freezing point. The Japanese 
are a sensitive nation, and finding that foreigners were 
astonished and shocked at the habits of the people, in 
going about without clothes, and in bathing in public and 
at their house doors, they passed a law prohibiting these 
customs in towns. In the country, however, the more primi- 
tive customs are still in force, and every dwelling has its 
half-open bath-house, whilst the people do as they like in 
the matter of clothing. 

After stopping twice on the road, to drink the inevit- 
able tea, we changed from our carriage to jinrikishas, each 
drawn and pushed by four strong men, bowling along at 
a merry pace. The sun was very warm in the sheltered 
valleys, and the abundance of evergreens of all kinds quite 
deluded one into the belief that it was summer time, 
especially as camellias grew like forest trees, covered with 
red and white bloom, amidst a dense tangle of bamboos and 
half-hardy palms. There were many strange things upside 
down to be seen on either hand — horses and cows with 
bells on their tails instead of on their necks, the qua- 
drupeds well clothed, their masters without a scrap of 
covering, tailors sewing from them instead of to them, a 
carpenter reversing the action of his saw and plane. It 
looked just as if they had originally learned the various 
processes in ' Alice's Looking-glass World ' in some former 
stage of their existence. 



TA TTOOING. 



in 



We had not long left the town before our men began 
to undress each other ; for their clothes were so tight that 
it required no inconsiderable effort to remove them. Some 
of them were beautifully tattooed. My wheeler had the 
root of a tree depicted on one foot, from which sprang the 
trunk and branches, spreading gradually, until on his back 
and chest they bore fruit and flowers, amongst which birds 
were perched. On his other leg was a large stork, sup- 
posed, I imagine, to be standing under the shadow of the 




A Drag across the Sand In % Jinriilshft 



same tree. Another man had human figures tattooed all 
over him, in various attitudes. 

In less than an hour we reached the narrow strip of 
land which at low water connects the island or peninsula 
of Inoshima with the mainland. This isthmus was covered 
with natives gathering shells and seaweed, casting their 
nets, and pushing off or dragging up their boats ; whilst 
an island rose fresh and green from the sea, with a bacic- 
ground of snowy mountains, stretching across the bay, 



328 



VENUS 1 S EARS. 



above which Fujiyama towered grandly. This name 
signifies 'not two, but one mountain,' the Japanese think- 
ing it impossible that there can be another like it in the 
world. The lovely little island is called Inoshima, and is 
conical in shape and covered with evergreens and Buddhist 
temples, with a few small fishing villages scattered on ifes 
shores. We walked right across it in about an hour ; so 
you may imagine it is not very large. The sea teems 
with curiously shaped fish and beautiful shells. The staple 
food of the inhabitants seems to be those lovely ' Venus's 
ears/ l as they are called— a iiattish univalve, about as big as 




Inosiumft by a Japaneuss Ar'jssi.. 



your hand, with a row of holes along the edge, and a lining 
of brilliant black mother-of-pearl. These were lying about 
in heaps mixed with white mother-of-pearl shells, as big as 
your two fists, and shaped like a snail-shell. 

Our jinrifHska men deposited us at the bottom of the 
main street of the principal village, to enter which we 
passed through a simple square arch of a temple. The 
street was steep and dirty, and consisted principally of 
shell-fish and seaweed shops. 

1 Haiiotis. 




TEMPLE OF THE MOON. 



THE CAMELLIAS. 



329 



An old priest took us in hand, and, providing us with 
stout sticks, marched us up to the top of the hill to see 
various temples, and splendid views in many directions. 
The camellias and evergreens on the hillside made a 
lovely framework for each little picture, as we turned and 
twisted along the narrow path. I know not how many 
steps on the other side of the island had to be descended 
before the sea-beach was reached. Here is a cavern 
stretching 500 feet straight below high-water mark, with a 
shrine to Benton Sama, the Lucina,of Japan ; and having 
been provided with candles, we proceeded a few hundred 
feet through another cave, 
running at right angles to 
the first 

As it would have been 
a long steep walk back, and 
I was very tired, we called 
to one of the numerous 
fishing boats near the shore, 
and were quickly conveyed 
round to our original start- 
ing place. Before we said 
good-bye, one of the old 
priests implored to be 
allowed to dive into the water for haif-a-dollar. His request 
was complied with, and he caught the coin most successfully. 

We lunched at a tea-house, our meal consisting of fish 
of all kinds, deliciously cooked, and served, fresh from the 
fire, in a style worthy of Greenwich ; and as we had taken 
the precaution to bring some bread and wine with us, we 
were independent of the usual rice and saki. 

After this we proceeded on our way towards the 
Daibutz, or Great Buddha, situated within the limits of 
what was once the large city of Kama-kura, now only 
a collection of small hamlets. As all Japanese cities are 
built of wood, it is not wonderful that they should in time 




A -Boatmau 



33f> 



DAIBUTZ. 



entirely disappear, and leave no trace behind them. But 
there still remain some of the columns of the temple which 
once existed in the gardens surrounding the idol. Now 
he is quite alone ; and for centuries has this grand old figure 
sat, exposed to the elements, serenely smiling on the vary- 
ing scene beneath him. The figure is of bronze, and is 
supposed to have been cast about the year 1250 or 1260. 
It is some 50 ft high, with golden 
eyes and a silver spiral horn on 
the forehead. It is possible to 
sit or stand on the thumb, and 
within the hollow body an altar 
is erected, at which the priests 
officiate. Sitting there, amidst 
a grove of enormous crypto- 
merias and bamboos, there is an 
air of ineffable silent strength 
about that solitary figure, which 
affords a clue to the tenacity 
with which the poorer classes 
cling to Buddhism. The very 
calmness of these figures must 
be more suggestive of relief and 
repose to the poor weary wor- 
shippers than the glitter of the 
looking-glass and crystal ball to 
be found in the Shintoo temples. 
The looking-glass is intended to remind believers that the 
Supreme Being can see their innermost thoughts as clearly 
as they can perceive their own reflection ; while the crystal 
ball is an emblem of purity. Great store is set by the 
latter, especially if of large size and without flaw ; but to 
my mind the imperfect ones are the best, as they refract 
the light and do not look so much like glass. 

In another village close by — also part of the ancient 
Kama-kura — there is a fine temple, dedicated to the God 




Our .Luncheon Bill 



OCTOPI. 331 



of War ; but we were pressed for time, and hurried back 
to the little carriages. The homeward drive was long and 
cold ; but the Tokaido looked very pretty lighted up, the 
shadows of the inmates being plainly visible on the paper 
walls, reminding one of a scene in a pantomime. On our 
way down a very steep hill we met the men carrying a 
cango. It is a most uncomfortable-looking basket-work 
contrivance, in which it is impossible to sit or lie with ease. 
These cangoes used formerly to be the ordinary conveyance 
of Japan, but they are now replaced by the jinrikiskas, and 
they are seldom met with, except in the mountains or in 
out-of-the-way places. 

Friday, February 2nd. — I was called at five o'clock, 
and at half-past six Mabelle and I started for the market. 
It was blowing a gale, and our four oarsmen found it as 
much as they could do to reach the shore. The Shanghai 
mail-boat was just in, and I pitied the poor passengers, who 
were in all the misery of being turned out into the cold of 
the early morning, with the spray breaking over them as 
they sat in the small boats. 

The market at Yokohama is one of the sights of the 
place. There were large quantities of birds and game of all 
kinds — pheasants with tails six feet long, of a rare copper- 
coloured variety, ducks, pigeons, small birds, hares, deer, 
rabbits. The fish-market was well supplied, especially with 
cuttle-fish. They are not inviting-looking, but are con- 
sidered a delicacy here. A real octopus, in a basket, with 
its hideous body in the centre, and its eight arms, covered 
with suckers, arranged in the form of a star, is worth from 
a dollar to a dollar and a half, according to its size. I was 
not tempted, however, to make any purchases. 

From the market we went to one or two small shops in 
back streets, and thence over the bluffs, in the teeth of a 
bitterly cold wind, to a nursery garden, to examine the results 
of the Japanese art of dwarfing and distorting trees. Some 
of the specimens were very curious and some beautiful, 



332 DWARF TREES. 



but most were simply hideous. We saw tiny old gnarled 
fruit-trees, covered with blossom, and Scotch firs and other 
forest trees, eight inches high, besides diminutive ferns and 
creepers. 

It being now half-past nine o'clock, we went to the 
hotel to meet the rest of the party for breakfast, and at 
one o'clock we returned to the yacht. At half-past one 
Lady Parkes and several other friends from Tokio came 
on board to luncheon. They told of three disastrous fires 
that had taken place in Tokio yesterday, by which the 
Home Office — one of the finest old Tartar yashgis — and 
several smaller edifices had been destroyed. 

After the departure of our guests we paid another visit 
to the shore, and saw the foxhounds. They are a nice 
pack, and have good kennels outside the foreign settlement. 
They were out this morning at 6.30, but unfortunately we 
did not know of it. There are plenty of foxes, and some 
very fair country not far from here ; so they expect to 
have good sport. 

We weighed anchor at 8.30 p.m. and proceeded under 
steam. At 11.30, when off Touraya-saki, we set some of 
the head canvas. It was a cold night, with sleet and snow, 
though it was not blowing as hard as during the day. 



CHAPTER XX. 

KIOTO, LATE MIACO. 

Manners with fortunes, humours ehange with ehwm, 
Tenets with books, and principles with times. 

Saturday, February 3rd. — The occasional glimpses of 
.be coast scenery through the sleet and snow were very 
fine. We passed Rocky Island, Lady Inglis rocks, and 
Matoya, But Mabelle and I spent most of the day in bed ; 
she suffering from a blow from the boom, which had pro- 
duced slight concussion of the brain, and I having a 
wretched cold, which has been gradually getting worse the 
last few days, and which has quite taken away my voice. 

Sunday, February ^th. — It was blowing hard all day, 
raining, snowing, and sleeting. The scenery appeared to 
be pretty, and we passed through crowds of picturesque 
junks. 

At 4.25 we rounded Tomamgai Smia, and at 9 p.m. 
anchored off the town of Kobe, or Hiogo. 

These constant changes of names are very puzzling. 
Miaco and Yeddo, which we did know something about, are 
quite cut out, and replaced by Kioto and Tokio. Oddly 
enough, the same syllables, reversed, mean capital of the 
Western Empire and capital of the Eastern Empire re- 
spectively. 

Monday, February $th. — By seven o'clock a boat was 
alongside with letters from the Consul and Sir Harry 
Parkes, who had kindly made all the necessary arrange- 
ments for us to sec the opening of the railway from Kobe 



334 A PATIENT CROWD. 

to Kioto, and for the presentation of the gentlemen to the 
Mikado. 

It certainly was a great opportunity for seeing a 
Japanese holiday crowd, all dressed in their best. Thou- 
sands and thousands of people were in the streets, who, 
though naturally anxious to see as much as possible, be- 
haved in the most quiet and orderly manner. The station 
was beautifully decorated with evergreens, camellias, and red 
berries. Outside there was a most marvellous pavilion, the 
woodwork of which had been entirely covered with ever- 
greens, and ornamented with life-size dragons and phoenixes 
(the imperial insignia of Japan), all made in flowers. The 
roof was studded with large chrysanthemums — the private 
device of the Mikado, that of the Tycoon being three holly- 
hock leaves. The sides of the pavilion were quite open, the 
roof being simply supported on pillars ; so that we could 
see everything that went on, both inside and out. The floor 
was covered with red cloth ; the da'fs with an extremely 
ugly Brussels carpet, v/ith a large pattern. On this the 
Mikado's throne was placed, with a second canopy above 
it. Tom in R.N.R. uniform, the other gentlemen in even- 
ing dress, accompanied the Consul on to the platform to 
receive the Mikado ; while the children and I went with 
Mrs. Annesley to seats reserved for the foreign representa- 
tives. There were not many Europeans present ; but the 
platform was densely crowded with Japanese, sitting on 
their heels, and patiently waiting to see the extraordinary 
sight of their hitherto invisible spiritual Emperor brought 
to them by a steam engine on an iron road. The men 
had all had their heads fresh shaven, and their funny little 
pigtails rearranged for the occasion. The women's hair 
was elaborately and stiffly done up with light tortoiseshell 
combs and a large pin, and decorated with artificial flowers. 
Some of the children were gaily dressed in red and gold 
under garments, the prevailing colour of the costumes 
being" dark blue, turned up with red. They also wore gay 



JAPANESE VERSUS FRENCH FASHIONS. 335 

embroidered obis, or large sashes, which are put on in a 
peculiar fashion. They are of great width, and are fastened 
tightly round the waist, while an enormous bow behind 
reaches from between the shoulders to far below the hips. 
The garments fit tightly in front, while at the back they 
form a sort of huge bunch. On their high-heeled clogs the 
women walk with precisely the same gait as ladies in high- 
heeled boots. In fact, so exactly do the Japanese women 
(you never see Japanese ladies walking about in the streets) 
caricature the present fashionable style of dress in Europe, 
that I have formed a theory of my own on the subject, and 
this is it. 

Some three or four years ago, among other proposed 
reforms in Japan, the Ministers wished the Empress and 
her Court to be dressed in European fashion. Accordingly 
a French milliner and dressmaker, with her assistants, was 
sent for from Paris, and in due time arrived. The 
Empress and her ladies, however, would not change their 
style of dress. They knew better what suited them, and 
in my opinion they were very sensible. This is what I 
hear. Now what I think is, that the Parisienne, being of 
an enterprising turn of mind, thought that she would not 
take so long a journey for nothing — that if the Japanese 
ladies would not follow European fashions, at least Euro- 
pean ladies should adopt the Japanese style. On her 
return to Paris I am convinced that she promulgated this 
idea, and gradually gave it effect Hence the fashions of 
the last two years. 

Watching the crowd occupied the time in a most 
interesting manner, till the firing of guns and the playing 
of bands announced the arrival of the imperial train. The 
Mikado was received on the platform, and after a very 
short delay he headed the procession along the covered 
way on to the da'fs. 

He is a young, not very good-looking man, with rather 
a sullen expression, and legs that look as though they 



336 NOBLES IN UNACCUSTOMED CLOTHES. 

did not belong to him — I suppose from using them so little, 
and sitting so much on his heels ; for until the last few 
years the Mikado has always been considered far too sacred 
a being to be allowed to set foot on the earth. He was 
followed by his highest Minister, the foreign Ministers, 
and a crowd of Japanese dignitaries, all, with one or two 
exceptions, in European official dress, glittering with gold 
lace. I believe it was the first time that many of them 
had ever worn it. At any rate, they certainly had never 
learned to put it on properly. It would have driven to 
distraction the tailor who made them, to see tight-fitting 
uniforms either left unbuttoned altogether, or hooked askew 
from top to bottom, and to behold the trousers turned up 
and disfigured by the projecting tags of immense side- 
spring boots, generally put on the wrong feet. Some of 
the visitors had no gloves, while others wore them with 
fingers at least three inches too long. Certainly a court 
dresser as well as a court tailor ought to be appointed to 
the Mikado's establishment, before the European costume 
becomes generally adopted. 

I could not help thinking that the two or three old 
conservative Ministers who had stuck to theii native dress 
must have congratulated themselves on their firmness, 
when they saw the effect of the unaccustomed garments 
upon their confreres. The old court dress of the Daimios 
is very handsome, consisting of rich silks and brocades, 
with enormously long loose trousers trailing two or three 
feet on the ground, and with sleeves, like butterfly wings, 
of corresponding dimensions. A small high-peaked black 
cap is worn on the head, to accommodate the curious little 
cut-off pigtail, set up like a cock's comb, which appears to 
be one of the insignia of a Daimio's rank in Japan. 

As soon as the people had arranged themselves into 
three sides of a square, Sir Harry Parkes read an address, 
and presented his five compatriots to the Mikado, who 
replied in inaudible but no doubt suitable terms. Then the 



A NERVOUS MINISTER. 337 

Governor of Kobe had to read an address, and I pitied 
the poor man from the bottom of my heart. His knees 
shook, his hands trembled, and his whole body vibrated 
to such an extent, that his cocked hat fell and rolled on 
the floor of the dais, and finally hopped down the steps, 
while the address nearly followed its example. How 
thankful he must have felt when it was over ! 

The proceedings in the pavilion being now at an end, 
the Mikado walked down the middle of the assembly, 
followed by all his Ministers in single file, on his way to 
the luncheon tent. After they had gone, we inspected 
the imperial railway carriage, the soldiers, guns, &c, and 
just as we were leaving the station yard, to look at 
the daylight fireworks they were letting off in honour 
of the occasion, a salute announced the departure of the 
Mikado for Kioto. 

We lunched at the Consulate, our gentlemen changed 
to more comfortable attire, and then we went to see a 
Buddhist temple, supposed to be rather a fine specimen 
of woodwork. It is specially curious on account of some 
monkeys and a white horse, each kept in a sort of side 
shrine Every worshipper at the temple stopped before 
these shrines, and for a small coin bought rice or beans to 
feed them with, through the priest. Whether it was an 
act of worship, or simply of kindness, I could not discover, 
though I paid several visits to the spot during our stay at 
Kobe. 

From the temple we went to the shops in the main 
street of Hiogo, and full of interest and temptation we 
found them. The town itself is quite Japanese, and con- 
sists, as usual, of wooden houses, narrow streets, and quaint 
shops. To-day all was en fete, in preparation for the 
illuminations to-night. 

Kobe, the foreign settlement, is, on the contrary, bran- 
new, spick and span, with a handsome parade, and grass 
and trees, planted boulevard fashion, along the edge of the 



33» 



TO KIOTO. 



sea. It is all remarkably clean, but quite uninteresting. To- 
night, however, it looked very well, illuminated by thousands 
and thousands of coloured paper lanterns, arranged in all 
sorts of fanciful devices. It was dark and clear, and there 
was no wind, so that everything went off well. 

Tuesday, February 6th. — My cold being still bad, Mabelle 
by no means well yet, and Tom very busy, we at first 
thought of keeping quiet to-day. But our time is so short, 
that we could not afford to waste it ; so half our party 
started early for Kioto, it being arranged that Tom and 
Mabelle should follow us by an early train to-morrow. 

It was a wet cheerless day, 
and the country did not 
look its best. Still, the no- 
velty of the scenes around 
could not fail to make them 
interesting. The Japanese 
have an intense horror of 
rain, and it was ludicrous 
to see the peasants walk- 
ing along with scarcely 
any clothes on except a 
pair of high clogs, a large 
hat, and a paper umbrella. 
We crossed several large bridges, stopped at a great many 
stations, where heaps of native travellers got in and out, 
and finally reached Kioto at half-past two o'clock. It 
was still raining, and all the jinrikisha men wore their 
large rain hats and rain cloaks, made either of reeds or of 
oiled paper. Most of the jinrikishas, too, had oiled paper 
hoods and aprons. 

The drive to our hotel, through long, narrow, crowded, 
picturesque streets, seemed long and wearisome. It was 
still a holiday, and remains of the previous night's illu- 
minations were to be seen on all sides. The large 
paper lanterns still remained fastened to the high poles, 




A Family Q-roup 



TEMPLE OF GION, 339 

with an open umbrella at the top to afford protection 
from the rain. 

Kioto is a thoroughly Japanese town. I do not sup- 
pose it contains a single European resident ; so that the 
manners and customs of the natives may be seen in per- 
fection. Its theatres and jugglers are famous throughout 
Japan. In the suburb, where the two hotels are situated, 
stand numberless tea-houses and other places of enter- 
tainment. Our hotel is situated half-way up the hill called 
Maruyama. 

After about three-quarters of an hour's ride in the jinri- 
kiska, we were deposited at the bottom of a flight of steps, 
which appeared to lead to a temple, but by which we 
reached the hotel in about five minutes. We were received 
by servants, who bowed to the ground, but who did not speak 
a word which we could understand. The rooms looked clean 
and comfortable, and the dining-room boasted a table and 
six chairs, besides several screens and hibatchis. The bed- 
rooms, too, had beds, screens, and washstands ; quite an 
unexpected luxury. Still more so was a strip of glass about 
half-way up the screens, through which we could admire 
the fine prospect. Anything in the shape of a transparent 
window is a complete novelty in a Japanese house, where, 
in winter, you feel as if you were imprisoned. The view 
from the verandah of the hotel over the pretty fantastic 
garden, the temple grounds, the town of Kioto, and the 
mountains in the distance was an endless source of delight 
to me. 

The servants soon produced a luncheon, excellently 
well cooked ; and directly we had finished it we sallied 
forth again to see what we could before dark. First we 
went to the temple of Gion, a fine building, standing in 
extensive grounds, and surrounded by smaller temples and 
houses for the priests. The Dutch envoys used to stay 
here when they were brought through the country, like 
prisoners, to pay their annual tribute for being allowed to 



34Q WHAT IS A YACHT? 

trade with Japan. They were subjected to all kinds of 
indignities, and used to be made to dance and sing, pretend 
to be drunk, and play all sorts of pranks, for the amuse- 
ment of the whole court as well as for the Mikado and the 
empress, hidden behind a grating. 

From Gion we went to see other temples, and wandered 
about under the large conifers of all kinds, trying to find 
out the quarters of the British Legation for some time, 
until Sir Harry Parkes returned. The rooms at his resi- 
dence were comfortable, but cold-looking, for mats and 
paper screens do not look nice in a frost. There were tables 
and chairs and paraffin lamps, but no bedsteads, only about 
a dozen cotton and silk quilts, some of which were sup- 
posed to serve as a couch, while others were to be used as 
coverings. 

Sir Harry has had, I fear, a great deal of trouble about 
the yacht. She is the first vessel of the kind ever seen 
in Japan, with the exception of the one sent out in 1858 as 
a present from the Queen to the then Tycoon, and now used 
by the Mikado. The officials, it seems, cannot make the 
' Sunbeam ' out. ' Is she a man-of-war ? We know what 
that is.' ' No.' ' Is she a merchant ship ? ' ' No ; she is a 
yacht' But what can be the object of a vessel without 
guns is quite beyond their comprehension. At last it has 
been settled that, in order to be like other nations, the 
Japanese officials will not force us to enter at the Custom 
House, or to pay a fine of sixty dollars a day for not doing 
so. As a matter of precedent, it was important that the 
point should be settled, though I hardly imagine that 
many yachts will follow our example, and come out to 
Japan through the Straits of Magellan and across the 
Pacific. 

As it was now growing late, we returned to the hotel 
for dinner. The night was cold, and hibatchis and lamps 
alike failed to warm the thinly walled and paper-screened 
room. 



SIR II. PARKES'S ADVENTURES. 341 

Sir Harry Parkes came and spent the evening with us, 
and taught us more about Japan in two or three hours than 
we could have learned by much study of many books. The 
fact is, that in this fast-changing country guide-books get 
out of date in two or three years. Besides which, Sir Harry 
has been one of the chief actors in many of the most promi- 
nent events we have recently been reading about. To 
hear him describe graphically the wars of 1868, and the 
Christian persecutions in 1870, with the causes that led to 
the revolution, and the effect it has had on the country, was 
indeed interesting. Still more so was his account of his 
journey hither to force the newly emerged Mikado and his 
Ministers to sign the treaty, which had already received 
the assent (of course valueless) of the deposed Tycoon. 

Wednesday, February yth. — A misty but much warmer 
morning succeeded a wet night. At 8.30 Sir Harry Parkes 
and two other gentlemen arrived, and we all started at once 
in jinrikishas to see what could be seen in the limited 
time at our disposal. We went first to the temple of Gion 
Chiosiu, described elaborately in books by other travellers. 
It is specially interesting to Europeans, as it was the temple 
assigned to the foreign envoys when they paid their first 
visit to the Mikado in 1868. Sir Harry Parkes showed 
us all their apartments, and the large though subsidiary 
temple once used as a hospital, and we afterwards went to 
see the service performed in the temple. A dozen bonzes, or 
priests, were sitting round in a circle, chanting monoto- 
nously from ponderous volumes, with an occasional accom- 
paniment from a gong or drum. Incense was being burned, 
vestments worn, processions formed, and prayers offered 
to Buddha to intercede with the Supreme Being. The 
accessories and surroundings were of course different, but 
the ceremonial struck me as being much the same as that 
in use at Roman Catholic places of worship. Mr. Simpson, 
however, thinks differently. He says : 

' I was only a month in Japan, and that is far too short 



342 RELIGIOUS SPECULATIONS. 

a time for anything like serious study ; but I was much 
struck by the temples, and I find I have some notes in my 
book comparing them with the Jewish. How any direct 
connection could possibly exist, is far beyond my powers of 
conjecture ; but I will state the points of resemblance, and 
leave others to inquire further and collect additional infor- 
mation. Wood and bronze to this day furnish the material 
of which temples are constructed in Japan, with stone as 
a base. Such also were the materials of Solomon's temple. 
There are enclosures round each court or shrine, and some- 
times these courts are three in number. Hills or groves 
are usually sites for a temple, the ascent to which is by a 
long flight of steps ; usually two flights give access to the 
shrine. One is long, straight, and steep, for the men ; the 
other, less steep, but curved, is for the women. It will be 
remembered that it was the great stairs at Solomon's 
temple that so impressed the Queen of Sheba. Small 
shrines or miniature temples, called Tenno Samma, or 
" Heaven's Lord," are carried on staves, like the Ark of the 
Covenant, at their religious ceremonies. The inner shrine, 
or Holy of Holies, is small, and a cube, or nearly so, in 
proportion. It is usually detached behind the other por- 
tions of the temple, the door being closed, so that it can- 
not be seen into, and it generally contains, not an image, 
but a tablet, or what the Japanese call a " Gohei," or piece 
of paper, cut so that it hangs down in folds on each side. 
In the early days of writing, a tablet was a book, a stylus 
the pen. The stone on which the law was inscribed was 
only a form of the book, and the Chinese ancestral tablet, 
or other tablet, in a temple, is only a variety of this book 
form. These " Goheis " are so common in Japan, and occupy 
so important a place in all their temples, that I had a great 
desire to know what they originally meant ; but as on many 
questions of this kind I could get no information, the only 
suggestion which presented itself to me was, that it might 
be some form of the book, for the book was a very sacred 



BRONZE BELLS. 343 



thing in past time, and that which is yet called the " Ark," 
in a Jewish synagogue, contains now nothing but a book. 
There is a distinct priesthood who wear vestments, and they 
use incense, music, and bells. There are two religions in 
Japan, Buddhism and Shintooism ; the latter being the 
primitive faith, and the former an importation from China. 
The forms of the two have become slightly mixed, both in 
the construction of their temples and in the ceremonial ; but 
the remarks I have just made apply particularly to the 
Shintoo religion.' 

One of the late acts of the government has been to 
declare the Shintoo, as the old religion of the country, to 
be the only State faith. This is the disestablishment of 
Buddhism, but it does not imply its suppression. The 
Buddhist priests complain very much, saying that their 
temples are not now so popular, and many are being 
closed. Speculators are buying up their fine bronze bells, 
and sending them home to be coined into English pennies 
and halfpennies. Changes in faith present many strange 
aspects, and this is certainly a curious one. 

We strolled about the temple grounds, and ascended 
the hill to see the famous bell, which is the second biggest 
in Japan. The immense beam which strikes it was un- 
lashed from the platform for our edification, and the bell 
sent forth a magnificent sound, pealing over the city and 
through the woods. At one of the gates there is a curious 
staircase, leading up to the top, and there, over the gate, is 
seated a figure of Buddha, surrounded by twelve disciples, 
all carved in wood and coloured. They are quite worth a 
scramble up to see. 

From Chiosiu we went right across the city to the 
temple of Nishni Hongangi. On our way we were more 
than once stopped and turned off the direct road, which 
was kept by soldiers for the passage of the Mikado to wor- 
ship at the tombstone of his innumerable ancestors, real or 
imaginary. Being a spiritual Emperor, he has to be well 



344 NISHNI HONGANGL 

kept up to his religious duties, and is always being sent off 
to worship at some shrine or another, in order to maintain 
his popularity with the people, his Ministers meanwhile 
managing the affairs of state. Tanjo and Ikawura went 
off in haste to-day to Tokio, as there are rumours of a 
rebellion in the south. 

Nishni Hongangi is one of the largest and finest temples 
we have yet seen, even in spite of a large portion having 
been destroyed by the disastrous fire of 1864. The gates 
are splendidly ornamented, with carved chrysanthemum 
flowers. The centre temple is very fine, and is surrounded 
by smaller rooms, all decorated by the best Japanese 
artists of about two hundred years ago. Notice had been 
sent that the English Minister was coming with a party of 
friends, and everything had accordingly been prepared for 
our reception. In some places they had even put down 
carpets, to obviate the necessity of our having to take off 
our boots. The Abbot was out, which I much regretted, 
for he belongs to the Montos, the most advanced sect of 
Buddhism, and has more than once remarked to English 
visitors that he thought their own principles were so en- 
lightened that they were paving the way for a higher form 
of religion, in the shape of Christianity — rather a startling 
confession to come from the lips of a Buddhist priest 

After spending a long time among the paintings, wood- 
carvings, lacquers, bronzes, and gardens, we left the temple, 
and crossed several court-yards, before the main street was 
reached. Then, after a short walk, we came to another 
beautiful garden, laid out like a miniature park, with lakes, 
bridges, rocks, streams, canals, pavilions, &c. All these 
surround a house built by the celebrated Tycoon, Tako 
Sama, in the fifteenth century. Here, again, everything was 
prepared for our reception. Fires were lighted, flowers 
arranged, carpets laid down, and fruit and cakes placed in 
readiness, with hibatchis to warm each and all of us. We 
went all over the house, which differs little from a Japanese 



THE DEPOSED TYCOON. 345 

house of the present day, except that a higher style of art 
was employed in its construction and decoration. 

From here we went to quite another quarter of the city 
to see what was formerly the Tycoon's palace, now used 
as a sort of police office. It is built on the same plan of 
three enclosures as all the yashgis, though on a very 
different scale from the one at Tokio. There, the Tycoon 
reigns in undisturbed sovereignty. Here, he appears as 
a humble servant of his rightful master — really his prisoner. 
The late Tycoon, after the last battle, fought at this place, 
fled to his castle at Osaka, where, though he might have 
held out for an indefinite period, he preferred to sur- 
render. Two of his Ministers came to him and represented 
that he must not only think of himself, but of the party who 
supported the Shogunate, and that as he had betrayed 
them by false hopes he had no choice but to perform 
Hara-kiru. This he refused to do, although they set him 
the example ; and he is now living as a private individual 
on an estate in the country, not far from Tokio, where he 
amuses himself with hunting, shooting, and fishing. It is 
said that it is possible he may one day join the ministry 
of the present Mikado. 

From the Tycoon's palace we drove to the ' Toshio,' or 
court quarter of the town, where the Mikado and all his 
relatives live, in palaces, surrounded by large gardens, en- 
closed in whitewashed walls. We saw the whole of Tako 
Sama's household furniture and wearing apparel, the cele- 
brated swords of Yoritiome, called the ' knee-cutter ' and 
the 'beard-cutter,' from their wonderful sharpness, and 
many other interesting objects. 

Here we said good-bye to Sir Harry Parkes, and 
returned across the town by another route to our hotel 
to lunch, after which we made another expedition to one 
or two more temples, and then to a pawnbroker's shop, in 
the heart of the city, which had been strongly recom- 
mended to us. The exterior did not look promising ; the 



346 A PAWNBROKER'S SHOP. 

shop itself was small and dirty ; and they had to take 
some very filthy garments out of the way before we couid 
enter. Once inside, however, it was a very different story. 
They showed us splendid old embroideries, and quantities 
of second-hand court dresses, embroidered in gold, silver, 
and colours, with exquisite designs. The Empress has 
thirteen ladies of honour, who wear their best dresses 
only twice, and then sell them : hence the pawnbroker's 
abundant stock. 

Wherever we went a large but perfectly civil crowd 
followed us, and people ran on before to tell others to 
come to their doors and look at us, though we were under 
the charge of an officer and two men. It was now getting 
dark, and we were very tired ; so we at last turned back, 
and once more climbed those weary steps to our hotel. 
To-night there is some//fe going on in this suburb, and 
the whole place is alive with lights, dancing, music, and 
tum-tums. 

After dinner all our purchases arrived, each accom- 
panied by at least four or five men. Other people had 
heard of our visit, and had brought more things for us to 
look at ; so that the room soon resembled a bazaar. At 
last we got rid of them, having settled that they should 
pack our things and take them down to Kobe, where they 
would be paid for. The Japanese shopkeepers, though 
difficult to deal with, are incorruptible when once the bar- 
gain is made. They pack most carefully, frequently adding 
boxes, bags, and baskets, not originally included in the 
purchase, in order that the articles may travel more safely. 
The smallest article is sure to be put in ; and the greatest 
care is taken of everything, even if they know you do not 
mean to open the cases for months. 

If it were only warmer, how delightful it would all be ! 
The cold spoils everything to a certain extent At night 
we have to choose whether to be half frozen in our beds, 
or stifled with the fumes of charcoal from the hibatchis. 



TITIS VENICE OF JAPAN. 347 

Thursday, February Zth. — The sunrise over the city, with 
the river and mountains beyond, was superb. We break- 
fasted at eight ; but even by that hour the courtyard and 
passage were crowded with vendors of curiosities of all sorts, 
and no doubt great bargains might have been picked up. 
But we had no time to lose, for our train started at 9.30, and 
we had a delightfully rapid drive to the station through the 
sunny streets of Kioto. 

Arrived at Kobe, we went first to lunch with some 
friends, and immediately after hastened on board to receive 
the foreign Ministers and other friends ; and did not land 
again that evening. 

Friday, February tyh. — We left by ten o'clock train for 
Osaka, which has been called the Venice of Japan. It is 
intersected by innumerable rivers and canals, and boats 
were continually making their appearance at points where 
they were least expected, as our jinrikisha men hurried us 
along the narrow and not very sweet-smelling streets. We 
went so fast that, more than once before we reached the 
Mint, I thought we should have been tipped into one of 
the canals, as we turned a sharp corner. Our men upset 
the baskets and stalls that encroached on the road, in the 
most unceremonious manner ; but their proprietors did not 
teem to mind, many of them quietly moving their wares 
out of the way as they heard the shouts that announced 
our approach. The smell in the fish-market was disgusting, 
and enough to poison the air for miles around, but the 
people did not seem to mind it in the least. 

At last we left the river and town, and, climbing a 
slight eminence, crossed the first moat by a stone bridge, 
and reached the guard-house on the other side. There was 
some hesitation at first about admitting us ; but it was 
soon overcome. This castle, the last stronghold of the 
Tycoon, is built on exactly the same plan as the yashgis 
we had already visited, but much stronger, being composed 
of enormous blocks of stone. One wonders how human 



348 THE MINT AT OSAKA. 

labour could ever have transported them from their quarry 
to this place, for some measured 40 ft. long by 20 ft. 
high. We crossed the three moats and the three enclo- 
sures, now all full of barracks and soldiers. In the very 
centre, the old well and a little square tower are still 
standing, part of the Tycoon's original residence, which was 
destroyed by fire. The view from the top over the town 
and surrounding country is very fine. You can see count- 
less streams coming from the mountains, and flowing into 
Odawarra, on which Osaka is situated. The course of the 
river itself could be traced to the bay ; and the line of 
coast to Kobe, and the far-off mountains in the Inland 
Sea were plainly visible. 

On returning to the Mint we found luncheon awaiting 
us, and afterwards spent a pleasant time looking at a won- 
derful collection of curios. 

The Imperial Mint of Japan is a large handsome build- 
ing, in great force just now, for the whole of the old money 
is being called in and replaced by the government. The 
contrast between the two moneys is very great. The ancient 
coinage consisted of long thin oval obangs and shobangs, 
worth from two dollars to eighteen pounds each, square 
silver itzeboos, and square copper pieces, with a hole in the 
centre ; while that which is taking its place is similar to 
European coinage, and is marked in English characters, 
and ornamented with Japanese devices, such as the phoenix 
and the dragon. It did not seem worth while to go 
minutely over the Mint, as it is arranged on exactly the 
same principle as the one in London, and the processes 
are carried out in the same manner. 

Osaka used to be the emporium of all the inland com- 
merce, and was considered the pearl of Japanese cities. 
After the revolution, and when the Mint was built, there was 
some intention of making it the capital of the empire. That 
idea was, however, abandoned ; and the inconvenience of 
having the Mint so far away from the seat of government is 



THEATRES AND WAXWORKS 



349 



greatly felt, all the bullion having to be sent backwards 
and forwards at great expense by sea. Commerce has now 
almost deserted Osaka, owing to the difficulty experienced 
by large ships in anchoring near the town, and the impos- 
sibility of their crossing the bar. The foreign consuls 
and representatives have all left the place for the newly 
established settlement at Kobe, where they feel safer, with 
men-of-war at anchor just under their windows. 

There was just time to go round some of the old streets, 
and to some of the shops, before the hour by which we 
were due at the station. Osaka is famous for its waxworks 
and theatres. Five of the best of these have, however, been 
burnt down within the last eighteen months, with terrible 




Wayside Travellera 



loss of life. We heard that a short time ago there was 
nearly being serious trouble, in consequence of one of 
the managers having produced on the stage, in a most 
objectionable manner, a representation of the cruel and 
unprovoked assassination of an officer and two men, part 
of a boat's crew of a French ship. The English and French 
consuls went to the governor of the town, who promised 
that the piece should be stopped, and the obnoxious 
placards announcing the performance removed at once. 
But his instructions were not complied with, for the next 
day the piece was again performed, and the placards 
were still there. Some French sailors, luckily accompanied 



35o SHOPS AND GODOWNS 

by their officers, saw the latter and wanted to tear them 
down ; but they were persuaded to wait while the consuls 
were telegraphed for. They came at once, and again saw 
the governor, who sent some soldiers to stop the play and 
remove the bills ; and so the affair ended peaceably. 

We reached Kobe about seven o'clock, and went on 
board at once to dinner. 

Saturday, February 10th. — We were to have gone early 
this morning to Arrima, a village in the mountains, situ- 
ated among groves of bamboos, where there are mineral 
springs and a hot-water bath, in which people bathe in 
the old style. But the weather was impossibly bad for 
our intended expedition, with showers of snow and sleet. 
We waited till half-past eleven, and then landed and talked 
of going to Osaka again by train ; but finally decided that 
even this was not practicable, and that we had better stay 
and potter about at Kobe and Hiogo. The children set 
out to buy toys, whilst I went with a lady to pay another 
visit to the white horse and monkeys at the temple, and 
then walked on to a waterfall, prettily situated in a ravine, 
a little way behind the town. We afterwards visited 
several pawnbrokers' shops, at all of which there was 
something interesting to be seen. Many are perfect mu- 
seums ; but their proprietors never seem to care much to 
show you what they have, unless you are accompanied by 
a resident or some one they know. Then they invite you 
into the iron fire-proof ' godown ' or store, at the back, and 
out of funny little boxes and bags and parcels produce all 
sorts of rare and curious things which have been senl to 
them to be sold, or which they may possibly have bought 
themselves. It is not of the slightest use to go to the 
large shops, full of things, if you want anything really 
good, for you will only find there articles specially prepared 
for the European and American market 

I am very glad to hear that Dr. Dresser is here, collect- 
ing, lecturing, and trying to persuade the Japanese to 



JAPANESE ART. 351 

adhere to their own forms and taste in art and decoration. 
It is a great pity to observe the decadence of native art, 
and at the same time to see how much better the old things 
are than the new. A true Japanese artist never repeats him- 
self, and consequently never makes an exact pair of anything. 
His designs agree generally, and his vases are more or less 
alike, without being a precise match. He throws in a spray 
of flowers, a bird, or a fan, as the fancy strikes him, and the 
same objects are therefore never placed in exactly the same 
relative position. Modern articles are made precisely 
alike, not only in pairs, but by the dozen and the hundred. 

There are beautiful bantams to be seen in some of 
the shops here ; but they cannot be bought, as they are 
private pets. They seem generally very small, and one I 
saw to-day had his head far behind hfcs tail, which divided 
in the middle outwards, and fell forward on either side of 
his neck in the most extraordinary way. How he picked 
up his food and got through life, I am sure I don't know. 
There are plenty of little Japanese dogs ; but they are not 
seen to advantage this cold weather, and there would be 
great difficulty in getting them home. 

I bought some fine bantams at Yokohama, and a whole 
cage full of rice-birds. They are the dearest little things, • 
and spend most of the day bathing and twittering, occasion- 
ally getting all together into one nest, with their twenty-five 
heads peeping out. They are exactly like a magnified 
grain of rice, with legs and a bill. I hope I shall take them 
home alive, as they have borne the cold very well so far. 
We have also some mandarin ducks on board, and some 
gold and silver fish with two tails. Our sailors have 
over a hundred birds of their own, which never appear 
on deck, except on very sunny days. I don't know where 
they can keep them, unless they stow them away in their 
Japanese cabinets. 

We went on board about dark, and a few friends came 
to dinner. 



352 MORE RUMOURS OF WAR 

Sunday, February nth. — About 7 a.m., two Japanese 
officers came on board with a message which nobody couid 
understand. When we went on deck, we saw that all the 
ships were dressed, and concluded that we had been asked 
to do the same ; but we thought it better to send ashore to 
ascertain positively. The next difficulty was to get a 
Japanese flag. Tom went on board the ' Thabor,' a Japanese 
ship, to borrow one, and found everything was in bustle 
and confusion, news having arrived from Kiusiu that the 
rebels were mustering in great force, and that they had 
seized some ships. The ' Thabor,' ' Mihu Maru,' and three 
others, are therefore to go through the Inland Sea to 
Nagasaki this afternoon. 

The Japanese admiral sent word early this morning 
that he would come on board at two o'clock with some of 
his captains, and the French admiral also expressed a 
hope that it would be convenient to receive him and his 
captains at three. Their visits occupied nearly all the 
afternoon. We afterwards landed with the French admiral, 
paid some farewell visits, and went to look at a collection 
of old lacquer and Satsuma china, before we returned to 
the yacht. 



CHAPTER XXL 

THE INLAND SEA. 

Dipped in the lines of sunset, wreathed in tones, 

The clouds are resting on their mountain thrones ; 

One peak alone exalts its glacier crest, 

A golden paradise above the rest. 

Thither the day with lingering steps retires, 

And in its own blue element expires. 

Monday, February \2th. — Fires were lighted at 4 a.m., 
and by six we were steaming slowly out of the beautiful 
bay of Kobe. It was a cold bright morning, with a strong 
head wind, increasing every moment as we proceeded, 
until, in the straits of Akashi, it became almost impossible 
to make any way against it. There was not much sea, 
but the wind impeded our progress so much, that it was 
at last reduced to one mile instead of nine an hour. The 
straits are very fine, and the old castle presents an admi- 
rable specimen of the architecture of a Daimio's residence. 

We proceeded across the Harima Nada, where we were 
more or less exposed to the open sea, and where we took 
more water on board than we had done in the gale before 
arriving at Yokohama. There were no big waves, but we 
rolled tremendously, and the spray came over us, though 
the mere force of the wind seemed to keep the sea down. 

After struggling until twelve o'clock, and having done but 
little good for the last three hours, Tom determined to run 
back, and in a short time we found ourselves once more at 
anchor in the harbour of Kobe. It was a work of consider- 
able difficulty, owing to the strong wind and tide, to steer 



354 THE TEMPLE OF THE MOON. 

safely among the numerous vessels, and for a few minutes 
we thought we were aground, as we did not make the 
slightest progress, though the engines were working ahead 
full speed. The proveedor's boat came out to us as soon as 
we were perceived, and we landed in her ; but it was as 
much as the six stout oarsmen could do to make way 
against the wind. 

We went for a walk, or rather a scramble, to the water- 
fall, half-way up to the Temple of the Moon. Much of the 
ground was covered with snow, the streams were frozen at 
the sides, and there were hanging icicles to be seen, six feet 
in length ; and yet on either side were camellias and tea- 
trees covered with red and white blossoms, orange-trees 
laden with fruit ; gold-fish swimming about in ponds, over- 
hung with maidenhair fern, besides pteris and hothouse 
ferns, shaded by bamboos, palms, and castor-oil plants. 
The order of vegetation seems to be as much reversed as 
everything else in this strange country. In England all 
those plants would require conservatories, or at least shel- 
tered spots, and the greatest care, instead of being exposed 
to frost and snow. 

Getting on board again was even a more difficult 
business than landing had been ; but we arrived at last 
without mishap. 

Tuesday, February i ^th. — The wind dropped at sunset, 
and as it continued calm all night, Tom ordered fires to be 
lighted at 4 a.m. By six o'clock, however, it was blowing 
harder than ever, and we therefore decided to make an 
excursion to Arrima instead of attempting another start. 

We went ashore to make the necessary arrangements, 
and it was settled that we should start at ten o'clock, which 
we did, with the Consulate constable as our guide. 

We had three men to each jinrikisha, and went along 
at a merry pace through the long straggling towns of Kobe 
and Hiogo. The cold was intense, and before we started our 
poor jinrikisha men were shivering until they nearly shook 




A CHINESE PEARL AND IVORY STORE. 



ARRIMA. 355 



us out of the vehicles. Soon they were streaming with per- 
spiration, and at our first halting-place they took off almost 
all their garments, though it was as much as we could do 
to keep warm in our furs and wraps. We waited while 
they partook copiously of hot tea and bowls of rice, and 
bought new straw shoes, or rather sandals, for less than a 
farthing a pair. 

To-day being the Japanese New Year's Day, all the 
little shrines in the houses and along the road were prettily 
decorated, and had offerings of rice, saki, and fruit deposited 
upon them. The spirits of the departed are supposed to 
come down and partake, not of the things themselves, but 
of the subtle invisible essence that rises from them. The 
road now became very pretty, winding through the valleys, 
climbing up and dipping down the various hills, and pass- 
ing through picturesque villages, where all the people, 
leaving their meals or their games, came out to look at us, 
while some of the children scampered on to secure a good 
view of the foreigners, and others ran away frightened and 
screaming. They were all dressed in dark blue clothes, 
turned up with red, with bright embroidered obis and 
flowers in their elaborately dressed hair. I have managed 
to get some dolls' wigs, which give a good idea of the 
various styles of hair-dressing. 

In rather more than three hours we reached Arrima, a 
village far more beautifully situated than any we had seen, 
in the very centre of the mountains, where a dozen valleys 
converge into one centre. On one side are mineral springs, 
on the other a river. Bamboos grow luxuriantly on all 
sides, and the inhabitants of the various valleys obtain their 
livelihood by manufacturing from them all sorts of articles : 
boxes for every conceivable purpose ; baskets, fine and 
coarse, large and small, useful and ornamental, coloured 
and plain ; brushes, pipes, battledores and shuttlecocks, 
sticks, spoons, knives and forks, sauce ladles, boats, lamps, 
cradles, &c. 



356 A FAIRY AND WAND. 

The first glimpse of the village is lovely ; that from the 
bridge that crosses the river is still more so. We clambered 
up narrow streets, with quaint carved houses and over- 
hanging balconies, till we reached a tea-house, kept by a 
closely shaven bonze, or priest He seemed very pleased 
to see us, and bowed and shook hands over and over 
again. He placed his whole house at our disposal, and 
a very clean, pretty, and well-arranged house it was, 
with a lovely little formal garden, ornamented with mimic 
temples and bridges of ice, fashioned by the hard frost, 
with but little assistance from the hand of man. Bits of 
wood and stone, a few graceful fern-leaves and sprays of 
bamboo, and a trickling stream of water produced the 
most fairy-like crystalline effects imaginable. If only some 
good fairy could, with a touch of her wand, preserve it all 
intact until a few months hence, what a delight it would be 
in the hot summer weather ! 

To-day the paper house was indeed cold ; but even so 
slight a shelter from the bitter wind was acceptable, though 
we regretted the screens could not be opened to enable us to 
admire the prospect on all sides. The luncheon basket 
being quickly unpacked, the good priest warmed our food 
and produced a bottle of port wine, which he mulled for our 
benefit. Cheered and refreshed we proceeded on our way, 
leaving him much delighted with what seemed to us but 
a small recompense for his courtesy. 

Every house and shop in those narrow picturesque 
streets was a study in itself, and so were the quaint groups 
of people we met, and who gazed eagerly at us. We 
looked into the public baths, two oblong tanks, into which 
the mineral springs came bubbling up, thick and yellow, 
and strongly impregnated with iron, at a temperature of 
112°. They are covered in, and there is a rough passage 
round them. Here, in the bathing season, people of both 
sexes stand in rows, packed as tight as herrings in a barrel, 
and there are just as many outside waiting their turn to 



PUBLIC BATHING. 357 

enter. To-day there were only two bathers, immersed up 
to their chins in the steaming water. They had left all 
their clothes at home, and would shortly have to pass 
through the streets without any covering, notwithstanding 
the cold. 

From the baths we went to some of the best basket 
shops, where the beauty and cheapness of the articles ex- 
posed for sale offered great temptations. We had to 
disturb our jinrikiska men, who were enjoying their frugal 
meal at a separate tea-house. It was beautifully served 

'Hi ! fcgii^^ 






n 



Arriina. The Village of Bamboo Basket Work. 

and as clean and nicely cooked as possible, though con- 
sisting of viands which we might not have fancied, such 
as various kinds of fish, seaweed, sea-snails {beche de mer), 
and rice. Each man had his own little table and eight or 
ten separate dishes, a bottle of saki, tea-pipe, and hibatcki, 
arranged exactly as ours had been at the tea-house at 
Yokohama. How well they managed their chop-sticks, 
how quickly they shovelled the food down, and how clean 
they left each dish ! Habit is every thing. 

We were anxious to make the best of our way home, and 
starting at four, with but a short stop at the halfway tea- 



358 MAN-POWER CARRIAGE. 

house, we reached the hotel soon after seven, having taken 
less than an hour to come five miles over a very bad road, 
an inch deep in mud. So much for a ' man-power carriage,' 
the literal translation of the word jinrikisJia} Soon after an 
excellent dinner we returned on board, so as to be ready 
for an early start to-morrow morning. 

Wednesday, February 14th. — We were called at 4 a.m. 
Fires were lighted, but before steam was up the wind had 
risen ; so our start was once more postponed to the after- 
noon. We steamed out to the buoy, from among the ship- 
ping, in order to be able to get away more easily at night. 
The wind generally goes down at sunset, and Tom hoped 
that, by taking our departure then, we should get through 
the worst part of the Inland Sea before the wind again 
rose with the sun. 

After breakfast we went ashore, and dispersed in dif- 
ferent directions, to meet again at the hotel for luncheon. 
Then we all again separated, the children going to the 
circus, whilst I took a drive, with a pair of black and white 
Hakodadi ponies, to the foot of the hills behind the town. 

It was a pleasant circuit by pretty valleys, and brought 
us back to the town by a different road. I went to 
pick up the children at the circus, and found them just 
coming out, with delighted faces, having most thoroughly 
enjoyed themselves. They went on board to tea, but 
Mabelle and I went with the Consul mjinrikishas to a 
Japanese theatre at Hiogo. The streets were crowded 
with holiday-makers ; for to-day is the first of the Chinese 
new year, as yesterday was the first of the Japanese new year. 
The floor of the theatre was crowded with people, all squat- 
ting on their heels, each with his or her chow-chow box and 
hibatchi or brazier of burning charcoal to keep themselves 
warm. The performance frequently goes on for ten or 
twelve hours, with short intervals and whole families come 
and take up their abode at the theatre for twelve hours at a 
1 Or ' pull-man-car,' as it is sometimes called. 



AN ALARM OF WAR. 359 

time. The acting was not at all bad, and the performers 
were beautifully dressed. 

We did not stay very long at the theatre, but were soon 
tearing back again through the streets to the Consulate. 
These quick rides in a jinrikisha, especially at night, are very 
amusing. You have the pleasure of going at a high speed, 
and yet, being on a level with the people, you can see much 
more of them and of their manners than would be possible 
in a carriage. 

When we reached the Consulate we found the chief of 
the police of the foreign settlement waiting for the Consul, 
to inform him that Japanese soldiers were patrolling the 
town with fixed bayonets, alleging that information had 
been sent to the Governor that some of the rebels were in 
the hills at the back of the town, and might appear at 
any moment. The ships-of-war were to be communicated 
with at once for the protection of the inhabitants. They 
do not expect a general attack here, but seem to think 
the rebels' plan is to creep up by degrees to Osaka, where 
the Mikado is shortly expected to stay, and take possession 
of his person and the imperial treasure at one blow. 

When I got on board the ' Sunbeam ' again, I found 
that steam was up and all was ready for starting ; but the 
wind was still strong against us, and it was evidently neces- 
sary again to wait until four o'clock to-morrow morning. 

We were rolling a good deal, and, coming along the 
engine-room passage, my foot slipped, a door banged to, 
and my thumb was caught in the hinge and terribly crushed. 
Dressing it was a very painful affair, as the doctor had to 
ascertain whether the bone was broken, and I fainted during 
the operation. At last I was carried to my cabin and put 
to bed, after taking a strong dose of chloral to soothe the 
agonising pain. 

Thursday ', February i$th. — I wonder if anybody who 
has not experienced it can realise the stupefying, helpless 
sensation of being roused up from a sound sleep, in the 



joo 



YACHT ON FIRE. 



middle of the night, on board ship, by the cry of 'Fire !' 
and rinding oneself enveloped in a smoke so dense as to 
render everything invisible. 

At 2.30 a.m. I was awakened by a great noise and a 
loud cry of 'The ship is on fire ! ' followed by Mr. Bingham 

rushing into our cabin to 
arouse us. At first I could 
hardly realise where we were, 
or what was happening, as I 
was half stupid with chloral, 
pain, and smoke, which was 
issuing from each side of the 
staircase in dense volumes. 
My first thought was for 
the chil- 
dren, but 
I found 
they had 
not been 
forgotten. 
Rolled up 
in blan- 
kets, they 
were al- 
ready in 
transit to 
the deck- 
house. In 
the mean- 
time Mr. 
Bingham had drenched the flames with every available jug 
of water, and Tom had roused the crew, and made them 
screw the hose on to the pump. They were afraid to open 
the hatches, to discover where the fire was, until the hose and 
cxttncteurs were ready to work, as they did not know whether 
or not the hold was on fire, and the whole ship might burst 




Tie Taoht on Fire. 



PLUCKY CHILDREN. 361 

into a blaze the moment the air was admitted. Allen soon 
appeared with an extincteur on his back, and the mate with 
the hose. Then the cupboard in Mr. Bingham's room was 
opened, and burning cloaks, dresses, boxes of curios, port- 
manteaus, &c, were hauled out, and, by a chain of men, sent 
on deck, where they were drenched with sea-water or 
thrown overboard. Moving these things caused the flames 
to increase in vigour, and the extincteur was used freely, and 
with the greatest success. It is an invaluable invention, 
especially for a yacht, where there are so many holes and 
corners which it would be impossible to reach by ordinary 
means. All this time the smoke was pouring in volumes 
from the cupboard on the other side, and from under the 
nursery fireplace. The floors were pulled up, and the par- 
titions were pulled down, until at last the flames were got 
under. The holds were next examined. No damage had 
been done there ; but the cabin floor was completely burnt 
through, and the lead from the nursery fireplace was run- 
ning about, melted by the heat. 

The explanation of the cause of the fire is very 
simple. Being a bitterly cold night, a roaring fire had 
been made up in the nursery, but about half-past ten the 
servants thought it looked rather dangerous and raked it 
out. The ashpan was not large enough, however, to hold 
the hot embers, which soon made the tiles red-hot. The 
woodwork caught fire, and had been smouldering for 
hours, when the nurse fortunately woke and discovered 
the state of affairs. She tried to rouse the other maids, 
but they were stupefied with the smoke, and so she rushed 
off at once to the doctor and Mr. Bingham. The former 
seized a child under each arm, wrapped them in blankets., 
and carried them off to the deck-house, Mabelle and the 
maids following, with more blankets and rugs, hastily 
snatched up. The children were as good as possible. They 
never cried nor made the least fuss, but composed them- 
selves in the deck-house to sleep for the remainder of the 



362 USEFUL <EXTINCTEURS: 

night, as if it were all a matter of course. When I went 
to see them, little Muriel remarked : ' If the yacht is on 
fire, mamma, had not baby and I better get our ulsters, 
and go with Emma in the boat to the hotel, to be out of 
the way ? ' It is the third time in their short lives that 
they have been picked out of bed in the middle of the 
night and carried off in blankets away from a fire, so I 
suppose they are getting quite used to it. 

There can be no doubt that the preservation of the 
yacht from very serious damage, if not from complete 
destruction, was due to the prompt and efficient manner in 
which the extincteurs were used. It was not our first ex- 
perience of the value of this invention ; for, not very long 
before we undertook our present expedition, a fire broke 
out in our house in London, on which occasion the extinc- 
teurs we fortunately had at hand rendered most excellent 
service in subduing the flames. 

By half-past three all danger was past, and we began 
to settle down again, though it took a long time to get rid 
of the smoke. 

At four o'clock we weighed anchor, and once more 
made a start from Kobe, and passed through the Straits of 
Akaski. The wind was dead ahead, but not so strong as 
when we made our previous attempts. It was bitterly 
cold, the thermometer, in a sheltered place, being only one 
degree above freezing, and the breeze from the snowy 
mountains cutting like a knife. 

We were all disappointed with our sail to-day ; perhaps 
because we had heard so much of the extreme beauty of the 
scenery, and this is not the best time of year for seeing it 
The hills are all brown, instead of being covered with luxu- 
riant vegetation, and all looked bleak and barren, though 
the outlines of the mountain ranges were very fine. We 
were reminded of the west coast of Scotland, the Lofoden 
Islands in the Arctic Circle, and the tamer portions of the 
scenery of the Straits of Magellan. 



INLAND SEA. 36.3 



After passing through the Straits, we crossed the. 
Harima Nada — rather a wider portion of the sea — and 
then entered the intricate channels among the islands once 
more. There are three thousand of them altogether, so 
one may take it for granted that the navigation is by no 
means easy. The currents and tides are strong, sunken 
rocks are frequent, and the greatest care is requisite. Indeed, 
many people at Yokohama urged Tom to take a pilot 

We had one lovely view in the afternoon of the island 
of Yoken San, with its snowy mountain at the back, and a 
pretty Uttle village, with a few picturesque junks in the 





Yoken San or £acrei Mountain, Inland Sea. 

foreground. The yacht passed between Oki Sama and Le 
Sama, steering straight for the cone-shaped little island of 
Odutsi. Towards dusk we made the light of Nabae Sinaon 
Yo Sina, and, steering past it, had to take several sharp 
and awkward turns, to avoid two reefs off Siyako and Usi 
Suria. Thus we threaded the St Vincent's Channel, and, 
avoiding the Conqueror bank by another sharp turn, 
dropped anchor at Imo Ura, in Hurusima, precisely at 
8.30 p.m. Tom had been on the look-out since 5 a.m., and 
we were all more or less worn out with the fatigue and 
excitement of last night. 



364 ON FIRE AGAIN. 

Friday, February 16th. — Off again at 4 a.m. The 
scenery was much finer than yesterday, and the wind not 
quite so bitterly cold. 

About 1 1 a.m. I heard a hurrying to and fro, and once 
more the cry of ' Fire!' This time it was in the store-room 
that it broke out. The iron plates on which the saloon and 
galley grates are fixed had become red-hot, and the wooden 
deck below had consequently caught fire. The boxes 
on both sides, containing the stores, were in flames ; but 
they were quickly removed, water was poured down, and 
the second and third fires were thus soon extinguished. 




'-,_""■: :"".. "■'*■--: 



Saturday, February \jtk. — At 3. 1 5 a.m. we began to 
slow ; at 3.45 the anchor was dropped near the lighthouse 
of Isaki, and we waited until daylight before proceeding 
through the Straits of Simono-seki. About nine o'clock a 
fresh start was made, under steam, but before long the wind 
freshened, and as soon as the anchorage near the town was 
reached we let go once more, near two men-of-war, who 
had preceded us from Kobe, but who were now wind-bound, 
like ourselves. 

To our astonishment, we also saw a large ship from Nova 
Scotia at anchor, the ' Mary Fraser,' although this is not a 



A CLOSED PORT. 365 



free port, nor within treaty limits. The gig was lowered at 
once, and we rowed alongside to gain what intelligence could 
be learned, as well as to ascertain what likelihood there might 
be of our obtaining fresh supplies here. The captain was 
very civil and kind, and volunteered to go on shore with us 
and act as our interpreter. We landed opposite a large tea- 
house, where we were immediately surrounded by a crowd of 
Japanese, who stared at us eagerly and even touched us, only 
through curiosity. They pursued us wherever we went, and 
when we entered a tea-house or shop the whole crowd im- 
mediately stopped, and if we retired to the back they surged 
all over the front premises, and penetrated into the interior 
as far as they could. A most amusing scene took place at 
one of the tea-houses, where we went to order some pro- 
visions for the yacht. It was rather a tedious process, and 
when we came out of the back room we found the whole 
of the front of the place filled by a gaping, curious crowd. 
The proprietor suggested that they should retire at once, 
and an abrupt retreat immediately took place, the diffi- 
culties of which were greatly augmented by the fact that 
every one had left his high wooden shoes outside, along the 
front of the house. The street was ankle deep in mud and 
half-melted snow, into which they did not like to venture 
in their stockings ; but how the owners of two or three 
hundred pairs of clogs, almost exactly alike, ever found 
their own property again I do not understand, though they 
managed to clear out very quickly. I believe Muriel and 
I were the chief objects of attraction. They told us that 
no European lady or child had ever been at Simono-seki 
before. It is not a treaty port, so no one is allowed to 
land, except from a man-of-war, without special permission, 
which is not often given ; it is, besides, the key to the Inland 
Sea, and the authorities are very jealous about any one 
seeing the forts. There is only one European resident here, 
connected with the telegraph ; and a dull time he must have 
of it The wire crosses the Straits a few miles higher up. 



366 SIMONO-SEKI UNDER ARMS. 

The streets appeared to be full of soldiers, patrolling 
singly and in pairs, with fixed bayonets. The temples 
were being used as barracks, and the principal buildings 
seemed to be strongly guarded ; but otherwise everything 
appeared to go on as usual. 

We waded through the mud and snow to the proverbial 
end of all things, always followed by the same crowd, and 
stared at by all the inhabitants of the houses we passed. 
They seemed very timid, and inclined to run away directly 
we turned round. Still, their curiosity, especially respect- 
ing my sealskin jacket and serge dress, was insatiable, 
and I constantly felt myself being gently stroked and 
touched. 

We returned to the yacht, and whilst we were at lunch 
some officers came on board to say that, this not being a 
treaty port, we could not purchase any provisions, except 
through them, and with special permission. This was soon 
arranged, and our visitors were rewarded for their trouble 
by being shown over the yacht. 

Sunday, February \Zth. — We were awakened in the 
night by a heavy gale, with snow and sleet beating furiously 
on the deck. In the morning the land was covered 
with snow, the water froze as it was pumped on deck, and 
the bitter wind howled and whistled through the rigging. 
In the afternoon the wind even increased in violence, the 
snowstorms became more frequent, and the sky was dark 
and overcast. 

We had service at eleven and again at four. The sun 
set cold and stormy, promising a wild night. At times 
the shore was quite hidden by the snowstorms, though 
only a few cables' lengths off. 

Monday, February igth. — The wind and weather became 
worse than ever, and, as time was precious, Tom decided 
to retrace our steps for a short distance and go through the 
Bungo Channel, between the islands of Sikok and Kiusiu, 
instead of going out to sea through the Simono-seki Straits, 



SAIL FOR HONGKONG. 367 

as, in the latter case, the gale would be right in our teeth, 
and we should make but little progress. Now we shall be 
under the shelter of Kiusiu and the Linschoten and Lu- 
chu islands for at least two days, and so make a fair wind of 
it. Steering due south, too, we may hope to be soon out of 
this horrid weather. The only drawback to this plan is that 
we shall miss seeing Nagasaki, which I much regret. There 
are no great sights there, but the scenery is pretty, and the 
place is interesting owing to the fact that it was the first, 
and for many years the only, port open to foreigners, 
and also the scene of the cruel murders of Christians and 
the site of the beautiful island of Pappenberg. Shanghai 
I do not think I regret so much, though Tom would 
have been interested to talk with the merchants about 
their commerce, and to see their houses, many of which 
are, I am told, perfect palaces. It would be very cold 
there, too, at this time of year ; and I do so long to lose 
my cough and feel warm once more. 

At 8.30 p.m. we weighed and proceeded under steam. 
The views of the mountains, between the snowstorms, were 
lovely, with the fresh-fallen snow shining in an occasional 
gleam of sunshine. We soon passed the Isaki light, with 
wind and tide in our favour, and at sunset found ourselves 
in the open waters of the North Pacific. 

Tuesday, Febricary 20th. — A lovely day ; the ther- 
mometer already twenty degrees higher than it was yester- 
day. The wind had dropped, and at 10 a.m. it had become 
so calm that fires were lighted. 

It was delightful to see everybody and everything on 
board — people, children, animals, and birds, all and each 
sunning themselves, and trying to get thawed after the 
freezing they have had. We have unfortunately lost one 
of the Hawaiian geese, which I much regret, as it is irre- 
placeable. None have, I believe, ever been exported before. 
The pig from Harpe Island is very well. We have not 
seen him all the cold weather, as he has been buried ix> 



368 GRADUALLY THAWING. 

straw in a box, but they say that the cold has stopped his 
growth. 

We were continually passing islands throughout the 
day, sometimes six or seven being in sight at one time, 
some with active and more with extinct volcanoes. We 
saw smoke issuing from three of the cones, but by night 
we were too far off to notice the flames. 

Wednesday, February 21st. — The calm still continues. 
The sun is bright, the sky blue, and the atmosphere warm. 
During the night we passed Suwa Sima, Akuisi Sima, and 
Yoko Sima. 

In the afternoon a light breeze sprang up ; we stopped 
steaming, and before nightfall were bowling along smoothly 
at the rate of ten knots. 

Thursday, February 22nd. — The same delightful breeze 
continued throughout the night and most of the day. By 
noon we had done 220 miles. Everybody had on summer 
clothes, and we all felt ourselves gradually expanding after 
being shrivelled up by the cold of the last month. 

I should never recommend anybody to come to Japan 
in the winter. You do not see it at its best, I am sure, and 
the scanty protection afforded by houses and carriages 
makes travelling a penance rather than a pleasure. Tra- 
vellers, however, who wish to see Japan should do so at 
once ; for the country is changing every day, and in three 
years more will be so Europeanised that little will be 
left worth seeing ; or a violent anti-foreign revulsion of 
feeling may have taken place, and then the ports will be 
closed more strictly than they were even before the execu- 
tion of the first treaty. Nothing that we can give them do 
they really want ; their exports are not large ; and they 
have learned nearly all they care to know from the foreigner. 
We have seen many of the European engineers of Japanese 
vessels, and they all agree in declaring that the natives learn 
to imitate anything they see done with wonderful quickness. 
These men also aveired that in a few years there will not 



GOVERNMENT EMPLOY. 369 

be a single foreigner employed in Japan, as the Japanese 
will be quite in a position to dispense with such aid ; and 
although the Government pay foreigners in a high position 
exceedingly well, their service offers no career to a young 
man. His engagement is for so many years, and when his 
subordinates have learned to do the work he may go where 
he likes. I am bound to add that I have heard the con- 
trary opinion equally strongly expressed ; but the facts I 
have mentioned make me lean rather to the former than to 
the latter side of the story. 

Friday, February 23rd. — Another pleasant day. The 
wind dropped, fires were lighted, and at 4.30 p.m. we pro- 
ceeded under steam. Soon after seven, whilst we were at 
dinner, the table gave a sudden lurch, which was followed 
by the sound of rain on the deck above. We found that a 
breeze had sprung up all at once, and had carried away 
some of our head-sails before they could possibly be 
taken in. Even under close-reefed canvas we had a most 
uneasy night, racing along at from ten to twelve knots an 
hour. 

Saturday, February 24th. — We were rushing along, 
literally through the water all day, for there was plenty of 
it on deck — not really any great quantity, but sufficient to 
make everything wet and uncomfortable. 

At 1.35 we made the island of Ockseu, a capital land- 
fall, and very satisfactory in every way ; for the sky was 
too much overcast to get an observation, and the currents 
hereabouts are strong and variable. During the night the 
wind fell light, but we maintained a speed of from nine to 
ten knots. 

Sunday, February 25th. — A much finer day. At 8 am. 
we had run 299 knots since the same time yesterday. 
We met a large steamer and passed a brigantine ; also 
several Chinese junks. About twelve o'clock we saw a 
flag being waved frantically from a junk not far from us. 
At first we thought something was wrong with them ; but 



370 KOWLOON PASSAGE. 

soon a small boat put off with three men, and we found, on 
its arrival alongside, that it contained a pilot anxious for a 
job. He was very disappointed that we would not let him 
come on board ; but Tom always likes doing the pilotage 
himself. The boat was a rough wash-tub kind of affair, 
not much better than those used by the inhabitants of 
Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia. 

About two o'clock we entered the tropics ; but the 
weather is now colder again, and not nearly so pleasant as 
it was two days ago. I suppose it is owing to the north- 
east monsoon. 

In the course of the afternoon we received several more 
offers of pilotage, all of which were declined ; and at 745 
we got up steam and lay to all night, ready to go into 
Hongkong harbour at daylight. 

Monday, February 26th. — At 4 a.m. we found ourselves 
close under the light on the eastern end of the island of 
Hongkong. We were surrounded by islands, and the morn- 
ing was dark and thick ; so we waited till 5.30, and then 
steamed on through the Kowloon passage up to the city of 
Victoria, as it is really named, though it is generally called 
Hongkong. The channel is long, and in some places so 
narrow that it is like going through a mountain pass, with 
barren hills and rocks on either hand ; but the combined 
effect of the blue waters, and red, brown, and yellow hills, 
is very fine. 

Off the town of Victoria the crowd of shipping is im- 
mense, and it became a difficult task to thread our way 
between the fleets of sampans and junks. The latter are 
the most extraordinary-looking craft I ever saw, with high, 
overhanging sterns and roll, or rather draw, up sails, some- 
times actually made of silk, and puffed like a lady's net 
ball-dress. Then their decks are so crowded with lumber, 
live and dead, that you wonder how the boats can be navi- 
gated at all. But still they are much more picturesque than 
the Japanese junks, and better sea boats. The sampans 



FAMIL Y SAMPANS. 



371 



are long boats, pointed at both ends, and provided with 
a small awning. The)- have deep keels; and underneath 
the floor there is one place for a cooking fire, another 
for an altar, and a third where the children are stowed 
to be out of the way. In these sampans whole families, 
sometimes five generations, live and move and have their 



MJI-* 




jjBig) Lf 




being. I never shall forget my astonishment, when going 
ashore very early one morning in one of these strange craft, 
the proprietor lifted up what I thought was the bot- 
tom of the boat, and disclosed three or four children 
packed away as tight as herrings, while under the seats 
were half a dozen people of larger growth. The young 



37a SEDAN-CHAIRS. 



mother of the small family generally rows with the smallest 
baby strapped on' to her back, and the next-sized one in 
her arms, whom she is also teaching to row. The children 
begin to row by themselves when they are about two years 
old. The boys have a gourd, intended for a life-preserver, 
tied round their necks as soon as they are born. The girls 
are left to their fate, a Chinaman thinking it rather an ad- 
vantage to lose a daughter or two occasionally. 

Many of these sampan people have never set foot on 
shore in their lives, and this water-life of China is one of 
the most extraordinary features of the country. It is what 
strikes all travellers, and so has tempted me to a digres- 
sion. 

A lieutenant from the flag-ship came on board and 
piloted us into a snug berth, among the men-of-war, 
and close to the shore, where we were immediately sur- 
rounded by sampans, and pestered by pertinacious Chinese 
clambering on board. The donkey-engine, with well-rigged 
hose, soon, however, cleared the decks, bulwarks, and gang- 
ways, and we were not bothered any more. 

After breakfast we landed on the Praya, a fine quay, 
extending the whole length of the town. On it are situated 
many of the large stores, offices, and markets of the city. 
The streets are wide and handsome, and the buildings in 
European style, with deep verandahs and arcades, all built 
of stone. The town is built on the side of a hill, with ferny, 
moss-covered banks, overhung by tropical trees, close to 
some of the principal offices. At the back are the moun- 
tains, the peak overhead, with the signal station on the 
top, always busily at work, making and answering signals 
with flags as ships and junks enter or leave the harbour. 
Soldiers and sailors abound in the streets ; and if it were 
not for the sedan-chairs and palanquins, in which every- 
body is carried about by Chinese coolies with enormous 
hats, one might easily fancy oneself at dear old Gib., so 
much do these dependencies of the Crown in foreign 



PIGEON ENGLISH. 573 

countries resemble one another, even in such opposite quar- 
ters of the globe. 

We were very anxious to leave the yacht here and to 
go up to Canton ; but we find there is no possible hotel at 
the latter place. This is rather unfortunate, as, after our 
long residence on board, and all the knocking about at sea, 
the yacht requires repairing and refitting. She looks very 
well painted white, and the change is a great comfort in 
hot weather ; but white paint does not wear well, and in 
order to maintain her good looks she ought to receive a 
fresh coat at every port. We can only go up the Pearl 
River at the very top of the tide, for in several places there 
are not fourteen feet of water over the shoals. It will, 
therefore, take us two or three days to accomplish what the 
steamers do in six hours, and a great waste of time will be 
involved. 

To-day, for the first time, we have heard ' pidgin Eng- 
lish' seriously spoken. It is very trying to one's com- 
posure to hear grave merchants, in their counting-houses, 
giving important orders to clerks and compradors in what 
sounds, until one gets accustomed to it, like the silliest of 
baby-talk. The term really means ' business English ; ' and 
certain it is that most Chinamen you meet understand it 
perfectly, though you might just as well talk Greek as 
ordinary English to them. ' Take piecey missisy one piecey 
bag topside,' seems quite as difficult to understand as ' Take 
the lady's bag upstairs ' would be ; but it is easier to a 
Chinaman's intellect. 

From the Praya we went up the hill to write our names 
in the Governor's book. It was a beautiful road all the 
way, running between lovely gardens and beneath shady 
trees. Government House is a fine building, situated on a 
high point of land, commanding extensive views in every 
direction. After a pleasant chat we descended the hill 
again, and proceeded to the Hongkong hotel for tiffin. It 
does not seem a very desirable abode, being large, dirty, 



374 HONGKONG RACES. 

and ill-kept At one o'clock a bell rang, and Che visitors 
all rushed in and took their places at various little tables, 
and were served with a ' scrambly ' sort of meal by Chinese 
boys. 

After this, a carriage was sent for us, and we drove to 
the race-course. This is the fourth and last day of the 
races, and there is to be a ball to-night to wind up with, to 
which everybody seems to be going. The drive was a very 
pleasant one, the road presenting a most animated appear- 
ance, with crowds of soldiers, sailors, Chinamen, Parsees, 
Jews, all hurrying along by the side of the numerous 
sedan-chairs and carriages. We were puzzled to imagine 
where, on this rocky, hilly island, there could possibly 
be found a piece of ground flat enough for a race-course. 
But the mystery was solved when we reached a lovely 
little valley, about two miles from the town, where we 
found a very fair course, about the size of that at Chester, 
but not so dangerous. The grand stand is a picturesque 
object, with its thatched roof, verandahs, and sun-blinds. 
The interior, too, looks comfortably arranged, and cer- 
tainly contains the most luxurious basket-chairs one could 
possibly desire. There are a lawn and a paddock attached, 
and very good temporary stables, over many of which are 
private stands and tiffin-rooms. 

Hongkong races are a great event, and people come 
down from Canton, Shanghai, Macao, and all sorts of places 
for them. Everybody knows everybody, and it seems to 
be altogether a most pleasant social meeting. Many ladies 
were present Some of the races were capital, the little 
Chinese ponies scuttling along at a great pace under their 
big riders, whose feet seemed almost to touch the ground. 
There was also a race for Australian horses. But the most 
amusing event of all was the last scramble for Chinese 
ponies ridden by Chinese boys, in which horses and riders 
seemed to be exactly suited to one another. 



THE WHITE SHIP. 375 

The sun went down, and it grew cold and dark before 
all was over. The gentlemen walked back to the town, 
and I went down to the landing-place in solitary state, in 
a carriage driven by an Indian coachman, attended by 
a Chinese footman. I was immediately surrounded by a 
vociferating crowd, each individual member of which was 
anxious to extol the merits of his own sampan. The car- 
riage having driven off, I was quite alone, and had some 
difficulty in dispersing them, and being allowed to enter 
the sampan I had selected. However, I did succeed at 
last, and making my boatmen understand that they were 
to take me to ' the white ship,' as the yacht is generally 
called, returned on board to rest 



CHAPTER XXII. 

TO CANTON UP THE PEARL RIVER. 

Sails of silk and ropes of sandal 
Such as gleam in ancient lore. 
And the singing of the sailors, 
And the answer from the shore. 

Tuesday, February 27th. — Until half-past ten we were 
occupied in the pleasant task of reading news from home — 
all good this time, I am happy to say. At 10.30 we landed 
and went up the hill to breakfast with Sir Arthur and Miss 
Kennedy, and heard a good deal about the colony. It is 
wonderful to think that thirty years ago it scarcely existed, 
and now it is a large and flourishing place, with splendid 
houses, institutions, roads, and gardens. We were also 
most agreeably surprised by the beauty of the scenery. 
It is really lovely, and, though the hills around are barren, 
wherever cultivation has been attempted, vegetation appears 
to flourish luxuriantly. The climate cannot be very bad, 
judging by the healthy look of the residents and troops. 
Typhoons seem to be the greatest drawback. They come 
without any warning, and it is impossible to guard against 
them and their disastrous effects. Thousands of lives, and 
millions of pounds' worth of property, are destroyed in a few 
hours. We have been shown some of the effects of a very 
severe typhoon that occurred in 1874. It seems almost in- 
credible that the mere force of the wind can snap iron posts 
in two, break granite columns, and blow off heavy roofs. 

After breakfast the ceremony of presenting the depart- 
ing Governor with a State umbrella took place. It was a 



VICTORIA PEAK. 



377 



token of respect from ten thousand Chinese inhabitants of 
Hongkong, and is the greatest compliment that can be paid 
to any official. It arrived in a large camphor-wood box, 
and the address, beautifully embroidered in gold thread and 
silk, was enclosed in a magnificent sandal-wood box about 
four feet long, covered with the richest carving. Precisely 
at twelve some forty vermilion-coloured visiting cards were 
handed in, with the name of each member of the deputation 
written in Chinese and English characters. The visitors 





Chinese Visiting Cards 

were all received in a large drawing-room, whilst we ladies 
observed the proceedings through the doors leading from a 
smaller room. It is not considered etiquette by the Chinese 
for ladies to appear at these public ceremonies. 

After it was all over, a stroll through the town, and a 
look at the shops, filled up the rest of the time in the 
morning, until we went on board to fetch the children for 
an expedition up the Peak to the signal station. As 
usual many visitors came on board the yacht, and it was 
later than wc had intended before we could make a start. 



378 CHINESE THEATRE. 

I had to be carried up the steep ascent in a chair, but 
the children and dogs thoroughly enjoyed themselves 
scampering about. The little ones picked heaps of flowers 
and ferns. The dogs had not been allowed to land before, 
as everybody told me they would be sure to be stolen 
directly. We returned on board before sunset, and had 
time for a little rest before some friends arrived to dinner. 
We have shipped two Chinese boys here to work in the 
pantry and kitchen. They are excellent servants as a 
rule, but how they will get on with the others, and how 
they will like the sea-life, remains to be proved. 

Wednesday, February 2%th. — I was up and off at half- 
past six to the market, and returned to a late breakfast on 
board ; after which a large party of China merchants came 
as a deputation to invite Tom to fix a day to dine with 
them. I think they proposed to pay him what is for them 
an unusual compliment, partly because they were pleased 
with some remarks he made yesterday at Government 
House, and partly because they think so much of his enter- 
prise in making a voyage round the world in a yacht with 
his wife and family. They examined everything on board, 
and seemed to be specially interested in Tom's Board of 
Trade certificate, which one of their number translated in 
full for the benefit of the rest. 

The Chinese part of the town stands quite away from 
the foreign settlement. It is dirty and crowded in spite of 
its wide streets, and the large, gaily coloured houses have 
the names and advertisements of their proprietors painted 
all across them. The theatre is in the middle of the city, 
and was densely crowded. A box had been reserved for us, 
for the ordinary seats are like a carpenter's bench. On the 
floor of the house men and women sat together, but in the 
galleries the men sat apart, and there were separate boxes 
for the women. The acting was rough, and accompanied 
by the most discordant music. The scenery seemed of an 
excessively rudimentary description, as you may imagine 




NATIVE MALAYS. 



HONGKONG PICKPOCKET. 



379 



when I tell you that a steep hill up which the hero and 
heroine climbed with great difficulty was composed of five 
kitchen chairs arranged in a pyramid on the top of three 
kitchen tables, held in position by men in their ordinary 
dress. The fugitives were supposed to be a Tartar general 
and his wife, escaping from their enemies after a great 
battle. The fighting was renewed at intervals with great 
noise and spirit Some of the costumes were very fine, 
and cost from 30/. to 40/. apiece. 




On the Pearl River. 



From the theatre we drove to the Chinese hospital, 
and thence to the Chinese recreation ground, where we 
saw sundry itinerant quacks and vendors of all sorts of 
rubbish. As we were walking along, having left our chairs 
for a few minutes to look at the Chinese shops, a man 
picked my pocket of a one-dollar note. Mr. Freer and 
the Doctor saw, pursued, and caught him. He vehe- 
mently protested his innocence, but to no avail. They 
proceeded to strip him, found the note, gave him a good 
shaking, and told him to go. 



PIRATES. 



Thursday, March 1st. — A most lovely morning ushered 
in the new month, which having come in like the most 
peaceable of lambs, will, we hope, not end like a roaring 
lion just as we expect to be in the middle of the Bay of 
Bengal. We left the yacht at 7.30, and went on board the 
' Kin-Shan,' which is a regular American river steamer with 
beam engines and many deck-houses, which are painted 
white. The lower deck is crowded with the most inferior 
class of Chinese, some eight hundred of them being on 
board. It gave us rather a turn to see them all padlocked in 
under the hatchways and iron gratings. At each opening is 
posted an armed sentinel, ready to fire among the crowd in 
case of any disturbance. In the saloon, also, is a stand of 
pistols, and rifles with fixed bayonets, ready for the Euro- 
pean passengers to defend themselves with, in case of 
emergency. These are very necessary precautions, on 
account of the numerous pirates who occasionally ship in 
disguise among the crowd, murder the passengers and 
crew, and take possession of the steamer. Not quite two 
years ago a vessel belonging to this same company was 
assailed in that way. Every one on board was murdered, 
and the ship taken to Macao. 1 But this voyage was more 
prosperous, the captain was most kind and polite, and the 
boat clean and comfortable. An excellent breakfast and an 
elaborate tiffin were served at noon, all for the sum of four 
dollars a head, including wine, beer, and spirits ad libitum. 

On first leaving Hankow the course lies between islands 
and through fine mountain passes. Later on the country 
becomes flat and uninteresting till the Bogue Forts are 
reached. Here are to be seen the remains of the old forts 
knocked down by the French and English guns. 

About one o'clock we reached Whampoa, the leading 
port of Canton. The Pearl River is too shallow for large 

1 I have since been told that only the captain and one or two pas« 
were killed, and the vessel run ashore near, not at Macao. 



PADD Y-FIELDS. 



381 



steamers to go up any higher ; so we stopped here only a few 
minutes to disembark some of the Chinese passengers, and 
from this point the interesting part of the voyage began. 
The river, as well as all the little supplementary creeks, 
was alive with junks and sampans — masts and sails stuck 
up in every direction, gliding about among the flat paddy- 
fields. Such masts and sails as they are ! The mandarins' 
boats, especially, are so beautifully carved, painted, and 
decorated, that they look more as if they were floating 




Bogue Forts. 

about for ornament than for use. Just about two o'clock 
our large steamer was brought up close alongside the wooden 
pier as easily as a skiff, but it must require some skill to 
navigate this crowded river without accident. On the shore 
was an excited, vociferating crowd, but no one came to 
meet us ; and we had begun to wonder what was to become 
of us — what we should do, and whither we should go in a 
strange city, where we did not know a soul — when we were 
relieved from our embarrassment by the appearance of 
the Vice-Consul, who came on board to meet a friend. 
He told us that, owing to an expected ball, all the houses 



382 



SHAMEEN. 



were unusually full, and that not one of the people who 
had been written to could take us in. This was rather bad 
news, but we felt sure that something would turn up. 

We landed, and, after proceeding a short distance along the 
dirty street, came to a bridge with iron gates, which were 
thrown open by the sentry. After crossing a dirty stream we 
found ourselves in the foreign settlement — Shameen it is 
called — walking on nice turf, under the shade of fine trees. 
The houses of the merchants which line this promenade are 
all fine, handsome stone buildings, with deep verandahs. At 




the back, there are com- 
-T"' pounds with kitchen gardens, 
and under the trees dairy cows 
are grazing. Eveiy household 
W/4Z- appears to supply itself with gar- 
den and farm produce, and the whole scene has a most 
English, home-like appearance. We went first to the Vice- 
Consul, and then to the Jardine Hong. All the business 
houses retain the names of the firms to which they originally 
belonged, even when they have passed into entirely different 
hands. After a little chat we went on to the Deacon Hong, 
where we found they had just done tiffin, and where we met 
some old friends. 



HOSPITALITY. 383 



By the kindness of various people, to whom we were 
introduced, we all found ourselves gradually installed in 
luxurious quarters. As for us, we had a large room com- 
fortably furnished in English fashion, with a bath-roorn 
attached. All the houses are very much alike, and are 
fitted up in an equally comfortable style. 

About three o'clock we started in five chairs, with 
Man-look-Chin for our guide. Tom vigorously protested 
against not being allowed to use his own legs, but every- 
body assured him that it was impossible in the crowded 
streets of the city, so he had to submit to being carried. No 
Chinaman, except those employed by foreigners, is allowed 
to cross any of the bridges over the stream, which com- 
pletely surrounds the foreign settlement, and makes the 
suburb of Shameen a perfect island. There are iron gates 
on each bridge, guarded by sentries. The contrast in the 
state of things presented by the two sides of the bridge is 
most marvellous. From the quiet country park, full of 
large villas and pretty gardens, you emerge into a filthy 
city, full of a seething, dirty population, and where smells 
and sights of the most disgusting description meet you at 
every turn. People who have seen many Chinese cities 
say that Canton is the cleanest of them all. What the 
dirtiest must be like is therefore beyond my imagination. 
The suburbs of the city, where all sorts of cheap eating-shops 
abound — where the butchers and fishmongers expose the 
most untempting-looking morsels for sale, and where there 
are hampers of all sorts of nasty-looking compounds, done 
up ready for the buyer of the smallest portion to take 
home — are especially revolting. The Chinese, however 
poor, like several courses to their meals, which are served 
in little bowls on a small table to each person, and eaten 
with chop-sticks, as in Japan. It is to gratify this taste 
that what we should think a very minute fish, or a tiny 
chicken, is cut up into half-a-dozen pieces and sold to 
several purchasers. 



3*4 CANTON STREETS. 

The Chinese are very fond of fish, and are most inge- 
nious in propagating, rearing, and keeping them. The 
dried-fish and seaweed shops are not at all picturesque or 
sweet-smelling, especially as all the refuse is thrown into 
the streets in front. Men go about the streets carrying 
pails of manure, suspended on bamboo poles across their 
shoulders, and clear away the rubbish as they go. I was 
very glad when we got through all this to the better part 
of the town, and found ourselves in a large shop, where it 
was cool, and dark, and quiet. 

The streets of the city are so narrow, that two chairs 
can scarcely pass one another, except at certain points. The 
roofs of the houses nearly meet across the roadway, and, in 
addition, the inhabitants frequently spread mats overhead, 
rendering the light below dim and mysterious. Every 
shop has a large vermilion-coloured board, with the name 
of its occupant written in Chinese characters, together with 
a list of the articles which he sells, hung out in front of it, so 
that the view down the narrow streets is very bright and 
peculiar. These highways and byways are not unlike the 
bazaars at Constantinople and Cairo, and different wares 
are also sold in different localities after the Eastern fashion. 
This is, in some respects, a great advantage, as, if you are 
in search of any particular article, you have almost an 
unlimited choice of whatever the town has to offer. But, 
on the other hand, if you want a variety of articles, it is an 
inconvenient arrangement, as you have to go all over the 
place to find them, and probably have to visit the most 
opposite quarters. We saw thousands of china vases, and 
bowls, and tea and dinner services, some very handsome, 
but many extremely poor. There were a few specially 
made for the French Exhibition next year, which were 
exceedingly handsome. We visited an ivory shop, and 
saw some splendid specimens of carving. One man had 
been for fifteen months employed in carving on one side of 
an enormous elephant's tusk the representation of a battle 



WEDDING CHAIRS. 385 

scene, and on the other that of a thanksgiving procession. 
It will take him at least another year to finish the job. It 
is for the Paris Exhibition. It will be quite interesting to 
look for our old Japanese and Chinese friends and their 
products on that occasion. 

From ivory carving, we went to a black-wood furniture 
shop, where we saw some very handsome things, by no 
means dear considering the amount of time and labour 
bestowed upon them. We finished up with the Temple of 
the Five Hundred Genii, whose five hundred carved wooden 
statues, thickly gilt, all very ugly, and all in different atti- 
tudes, stand round the statue of a European in sailor's 
costume, said to be meant for Marco Polo, but, whoever it 
may be, evidently considered an object at least of venera- 
tion, if not of worship. 

We now returned through the dirty city to Shameen, 
and the relief, after crossing the bridge into an open space 
where one could breathe freely and see the blue sky, was 
indescribable. 

Friday, March 2nd. — Before we had finished breakfast 
the other gentlemen strolled in from their various quarters, 
and the drivers and guides arrived from the Vice-Consul's. 
A long morning's work had been mapped out for us — 
thirteen sights before luncheon, then a visit to the French 
Consulate, followed by eight more objects of interest to be 
seen before we finally crossed the Pearl River to visit the 
Honan Temple. Quitting the pretty cool suburb by another 
bridge, we passed through streets quite as dirty as those 
of yesterday, until the heart of the city had been reached. 
We went first to the wedding-chair shop, where they keep 
sedan-chairs, of four qualities, for hire whenever a wedding 
occurs. Even the commonest are made gorgeous by silver 
gilding and lacquer, while the best are really marvels of 
decorative art, completely covered with the blue lustrous 
feathers of a kind of kingfisher. In shape they are like a 
square pagoda, and round each tier are groups of figures. 



386 LACQUER WORK. 



The dresses are also made of expensive feathers, but then 
they last for generations. There are no windows to these 
strange conveyances, in which the bride is carried to her 
future home, closely shut up, with joss-sticks burning in 
front of her. Recently there have been two sad accidents. 
In one case the journey was long, there was no outlet for the 
smoke of the joss-sticks, and when they arrived and opened 
the chair, the bride was found dead from suffocation. The 
other accident occurred through the chair catching fire 
while it was passing through some narrow street under an 
archway. The bearers became frightened, put down their 
burden, and ran away, leaving the poor bride locked up 
inside to be burnt to death. 

From the chair shop we went to the embroiderers, to 
see them at work. Their productions are exquisite, and it 
is a pity that better specimens are not seen in England. 
The process of lacquer-making, too, is very interesting. 
We had, however, to go from house to house to witness it, 
as only one portion of the process is carried on at each — 
from the gradual coating of the roughest wood with three 
coatings of varnish, until it is finally ornamented with 
delicate designs, and polished ready for sale. In appear- 
ance, price, and length of wear there is a vast difference. 

The next thing to see was the weaving of silk, which is 
done in the most primitive manner. One man throws the 
shuttle, while another forms the pattern by jumping on the 
top of the loom and raising a certain number of threads, in 
order to allow the shuttle to pass beneath them. 

Then came a visit to the Temple of Longevity, a large 
Buddhist temple, with a monastic establishment of about 
ninety priests attached to it. It contains three shrines 
with large figures, but nothing specially interesting. There 
is a large pond in the midst of the garden, covered with 
duckweed, and full of beautiful gold and silver fish of 
many kinds. The Chinese certainly excel in producing 
gold and silver and red fish ; they are the pets of every 



JADESTONE MARKET. 387 

household, and are of all colours, some being striped and 
spotted, and boasting any number of tails from one to five. 

Outside the temple stands the Jadestone Market, 
where incredible quantities of this valuable stone change 
hands before ten o'clock every morning, both in its rough 
and its polished state. The stalls are the simplest wooden 
stands, and the appearance of the vendors is poor in the 
extreme. The contents of the stalls, however, are worth 
from 500/. to 1,000/. (not dollars), and there are hundreds of 
these stalls, besides an entire jadestone street which we 
afterwards visited. We saw several of the shops, and asked 
the prices, as we wished to take home a small specimen ; 
but they had no good carved cups, which were what we 
wanted, and for what they had they asked an enormous 
price. Jadestone is a material very difficult to work, and 
in many cases the result attained is not worth the labour 
expended upon it. It is more a tour de force than a work 
of art. For a good stone, green as grass (as it ought to be), 
they ask from 2,500 to 3,000 dollars ; for a necklace of 
beads, 5,000 dollars ; a set of mandarin's buttons, one large 
and one small, 50 to 150 dollars. 

After looking in at the goldbeaters at work, we next 
made our way to the temple of the Five Genii who are 
supposed to have founded the city of Canton. Being a 
Tartar temple, all the gods have a totally different cast of 
features, and are represented as Tartars with long beards. 
It is much frequented by women of all classes, and up and 
down the numerous flights of steps leading from one shrine 
to another, poor little women tottered and tumbled on their 
crippled feet, holding on to one another, or leaning on a 
stick. This temple is interesting as having been the head- 
quarters of the allied forces during their occupation of 
Canton from 1858 to 1861. The great bell in front of its 
principal shrine has been broken by a shot. 

We then went to see the Flowery Pagoda, built A.D. 512, 
but now deprived of many of its decorations. The Brilliant 



TEMPLE OF HORRORS. 



Pagoda too, so called from having once been covered with 
snow-white porcelain, is now only a tall brick-pointed tower 
nine stories high. 

By this time we all felt hungry, and began to wend 
our way towards the yamun. On the outskirts may be 
seen prisoners in chains, or wearing the cangue, imprisoned 
in a cage, or else suffering one of the numerous tortures 
inflicted in this country. I did not go to see any of these 
horrors, neither did I visit the execution ground ; but 
some of the party did, and described it as a most horrible 
sight. Skulls were lying about in all directions, one of 
which had been quite recently severed from its trunk, the 
ground being still moist and red. 

Whilst luncheon was being prepared we were taken over 
many of the rooms and through several of the enclosures 
within the fortified gate. The meal was excellently served 
by Chinese servants in a charmingly picturesque Tartar 
room, and after it we wandered about the park, looked at 
the deer, and admired the Nagasaki bantams. Then it was 
time to start on a fresh sight-seeing expedition, armed with 
fresh directions. We set out first to the Temple of the Sleep- 
ing Buddha, where there is a large, fat, reclining figure; then 
to the Temple of Horrors — most rightly named, for in a 
suite of rooms built round three sides of a large yard are 
represented all the tortures of the Buddhist faith, such as 
boiling in oil, sawing in pieces, and other horrible devices. 
The yard itself is crowded with fortune-tellers, charm- 
sellers, deputy prayer-sayers, beggars, and all sorts of 
natural horrors, exhibiting various deformities. Altogether 
it is a most unpleasant place, but still it is one of the charac- 
teristic sights of Canton. 

We saw the hotel to-day for the first-time. It certainly 
looks very hopeless. We were anxious to get in there if 
possible, as we were such a large party, but everybody 
assured us it was quite out of the question. One gentle- 
man told me he never could fancy using his portmanteau 



YAMUNS. 



again, after even laying it down on the floor for a few- 
minutes. The absence of a decent hotel renders Canton 
an inconvenient place to visit. The European inhabitants 
are so very kind, however, that you are sure to find some- 
body who knows somebody else who will hospitably take 
you in. 

From the Temple of the Sleeping Buddha we went up 
the height to breathe a little fresh air, and to see the five- 
storied pagoda at the spot where the allied forces had 




The French Consulate, Canton. 



encamped, the Chinese groves in the White Cloud Mount- 
ains beyond, and to gain a general view of the densely 
crowded city beneath. It is all too flat, however, to be 
picturesque. The three yamuns at our feet, with their 
quaint towers, grand old trees, flags, and the broad Pearl 
River on the other side of the city, are the only elements of 
positive beauty in the landscape. 

We soon descended the heights again, and, passing the 
Cantonese Viceroy's yamuns paid our promised visit to the 



390 FEATHER STREET. 

French Consul. His residence is, if possible, more quaint 
and beautiful than that of the English representative. The 
trees are finer, especially one grand avenue leading from 
the outer gates to the private apartments. We were most 
kindly received, and shown a wonderful collection of em- 
broideries and china. It was a delightful visit, but we 
could not remain so long as we wished, for we had to 
see the water clock. The tower in which it stands is 
approached by a flight of steps, and was built between the 
years A.D. 624 and 907; but it has been repaired, destroyed, 
and repaired again, several times, having suffered in the 
bombardment of the town by the allied fleets in 1857. 

In the next street, Treasury Street (said to be the 
finest in Canton), you can buy burning-sticks measured to 
mark the time. They are extremely cheap, but perfectly 
accurate, and there seems little doubt that they have been 
used by the Chinese for thousands of years before the 
Christian era. Here, too, were the large spectacles so much 
worn ; opium pipes, with all the paraphernalia for cleaning 
and smoking them ; water pipes in pretty little shagreen 
cases, and many other curious articles in common use, of 
which we purchased specimens. 

In the Feather Street are innumerable shops contain- 
ing nothing but feathers of all kinds for mandarins, actors, 
and ordinary mortals ; but the great ambition of every 
Chinaman is to have a feather from the . Emperor. They 
are all called peacocks' feathers, one-eyed, two-eyed, or 
three-eyed ; but, in reality, many are pheasants' feathers. 
Some of these are from six to eight feet in length, beauti- 
fully marked. I bought two pairs over seven feet long. 
They are rather rare, as each bird has only two long 
feathers, and these are in perfection for but one month 
in the year. In this part of the town stands a Chinese 
restaurant where only cats' and dogs' flesh is served. 

We passed through innumerable streets, and at last 
reached the site of the old factories, now only occupied by 



BIRD'S-NEST SOUP. 391 

a large and comfortable house. We were to have embarked 
in the Consul's boat to visit the Temple of Honan across 
the river, but it was getting late, and every one felt tired ; 
so we went back through more crowded streets to rest 
awhile, before dressing to go out to dinner at eight o'clock. 
The dinner was quite English in its style, and the table 
looked bright with tea roses, heliotrope, and mignonette. 
The tables had been charmingly decorated by the Chinese 
servants, and even the menu had been arranged by them. 
They seem to save their employer all trouble, even that 
of thinking, provided the services of really good ones can 
be secured. We have had one for only a few days, and he 
does everything for Tom and me. He appears to know 
exactly what we want to do or to wear, and to foresee all 
our requirements. 

But to return, to this famous repast. It began with 
mandarin bird's-nest soup, with plover's eggs floating about 
in it This is a most delicious and dainty dish, and is in- 
variably given to strangers on their first arrival. I had no 
idea how expensive the nests were — 54 dollars a ' pice,' 
weighing something under a pound, and it takes two or 
three ounces to make enough soup for ten people. We had 
a very pleasant evening, talking over our experiences, and 
exchanging news as to our mutual friends. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

CANTON AND MACAO TO SINGAPORE. 

/ remember the black wharves and the slips, 

And the sea-tides tossing free ; 
And Spanish sailers with bearded lips, 
And the beauty and mystery of the shi*- 

And the magic of the sea. 

Saturday, March %rd. — After oar long day yesterday, I 
did net feel capable of acceding to our guide's proposition 
of being ready at half-past six for further explorations before 
breakfast ; besides, I wanted to see Tom off by the nine 
o'clock boat to Hongkong, whither he is obliged to return in 
order to keep various engagements. The rest of our party 
have been persuaded to stay and see a little more of Canton 
and to go with some friends to a picnic in the White Cloud 
Mountains. A man brought home to-day some carved 
tortoiseshell brushes Tom has given me, with my name 
carved on them in Chinese. It was no good writing it down 
for the engraver's guidance, and after hearing it several 
times he wrote down two characters ; but, as the ' r ' is 
always a great difficulty with the Chinese, I much doubt 
whether the name is really spelt rightly. 

It was a most lovely day, and after some little delay we 
started about eleven o'clock, a party of seventeen in chairs. 
There were five ladies and twelve gentlemen — a most un- 
usual proportion for Canton. A few weeks ago they wanted 
to get up a fancy ball, but there were only five available 
ladies to be found in the city. At present one or two 
more are staying here on a visit, and it is hoped that 



PET BIRDS. 393 



another ball may be arranged during this week, which may 
boast of at least ten ladies. We made quite a procession, 
with all the servants, bearers, &c, and excited much com- 
motion in the narrow streets, where everybody had to 
make room and squeeze up to the side as best they could. 
Men ran before to clear the way for us, shouting, yet we 
were more than an hour going right across the city. On 
our way we passed through the egg market, saw the pork 
fat market, and the poulterers' and fowlers' shops. 

We managed to visit several shops for the sale of real 
Chinese furniture. It is very handsome, but curious in form, 
and, unless it is specially ordered, is made only for native 
use. Every Chinese reception-room is furnished in pre- 
cisely the same manner, with very stiff high arm-chairs, 
arranged in two rows. A small four-legged square table 
stands between every two chairs, a larger table in the centre, 
and at the end an enormous sofa, big enough for six or eight 
people to lie full length across. The sofa and all the chairs 
have marble seats and backs, and the tops of the tables are 
also made of marble, or a sort of soapstone, on which may 
be distinguished natural landscapes slightly assisted by art. 

In the bird market I saw numbers of little birds for 
sale, for the Chinese are very fond of pets, and often take 
their birds out in a cage with them when they go for a 
walk, just as we should be accompanied by a dog. They 
manage to tame them thoroughly, and when they meet a 
friend they will put the cage down, let the bird out, and 
give him something to eat while they have their chat. I 
saw this done several times. 

Our road next led us through part of the butchers' 
quarter, where rats were hung up by their tails, and what 
looked very like skinned cats and dogs dangled beside 
them. Whole cages full of these animals were exposed 
for sale alive. Some travellers deny that the Chinese eat 
cats and dogs and rats, but there can be no question that 
they do so, though they may be the food only of the 



394 DOGGY DISHES. 



lower classes. Nor do 'puppy dogs' appear on the tables 
of the rich, except on one particular day in the year, when 
to eat them is supposed to bring good luck. We passed a 
restaurant where I was shown the bill of fare in Chinese of 
which this is a translation : — 

BILL OF FARE FOR THE DAY. 

One tael of black dog's flesh .... eight cash. 

One tael weight of black dog's fat . . three kandareems of silver. 

One large basin of black cat's flesh . one hundred cash. 

One small basin of black cat's flesh . fifty cash. 

One large bottle of common wine . . thirty- two cash. 

One small bottle of common wine . . sixteen cash. 

One large bottle of dark rice wine . . sixty-eight cash. 

One small basin of cat's flesh . . . thirty-four cash. 

One large bottle of plum wine . . . sixty-eight cash. 

One small bottle of plum wine . . . thirty-four cash. 

One large basin of dog's flesh . . . sixty-eight cash. 

One small bottle of pear wine . . . thirty-four cash. 

One large bottle of timtsui wine . . ninety-six cash. 

One small bottle of timtsin wine . . forty-eight cash. 

One basin of congee three cash. 

One small plate of pickles .... three cash. 

One small saucer of ketchup or vinegar three cash. 

One pair of black cat's eyes .... three kandareems of silver. 

The fish here, as at Hongkong, are almost always kept 
alive in large tubs of water, with a fountain playing over 
them. They even keep some sea- fish alive in salt water. 
But it is in the north of China that they excel in rearing 
fish in large quantities. At Foo-chow cormorant fishing 
may be seen to great perfection, and it is said to be a very 
amusing sight. 

At last the city gates were reached, and we once more 
found ourselves outside the wails, and able to breathe 
again. Here a halt was made, and several of the party got 
out of their chairs and walked, and we were able to chat, 
whilst we wended our way by a narrow path through 
nursery gardens and graveyards. In fact the whole of the 
White Cloud Mountain is one vast cemetery — it is the 



HOLY OF HOLIES. 395 

Chinese Holy of Holies, whither their bodies are sent, not 
only from all parts of China, but from all parts of the world. 
Frequently a shipload of 1,500 or 1,600 bodies arrives in one 
day. The Steamboat Company charges 40 dollars for the 
passage of a really live Chinaman, as against 160 dollars for 
the carriage of a dead celestial. The friends of the deceased 
often keep the bodies in coffins above ground for several 
years, until the priests announce that they have discovered 
a lucky day and a lucky spot for the interment. This does 
not generally happen until he — the priest — finds he can 
extract no more money by divination, and that no more 
funeral feasts will be given by the friends. We passed 
through what they call the city of the dead, where thou- 
sands of coffins waiting for interment were lying above 
ground. The coffins are large and massive, but very plain, 
resembling the hollowed-out trunk of a tree. The greatest 
compliment a Chinese can pay his older relatives is to 
make them a present of four handsome longevity boards 
for their coffins. Outside the city of the dead were the 
usual adjuncts of a large burying-place — coffin-makers and 
stone-carvers, all living in dirty little cottages, surrounded 
by pigs, ducks, and young children. 

Leaving the cemetery and cottages behind, a too short 
drive brought us to a lovely valley, where we were to lunch 
at the temple of San Chew, in one of its fairest gorges. 
The meal was spread in a large hall in a most luxurious 
manner, and as the wind changed almost immediately, and 
it came on to rain, we felt ourselves fortunate indeed in 
having reached shelter. We had plenty of wraps, and the 
bearers ran us down the hill again very quickly, so that 
we suffered no discomfort. 

By the time the city walls were reached, the rain had 
ceased, and a glorious red sunset glowed over the roofs, 
glinting through the holes in the mats, and lighting up 
all the vermilion boards and gold characters with which 
the houses and shops are decorated. The shadowy streets 



396 DUCK-BOATS. 



were now full of incense or rather joss-stick smoke, for 
every house and every shop has a large altar inside, and a 
small one without, before which joss-sticks are burnt more 
or less all day long. 

The streets seemed more crowded even than usual. 
Each of our bearers struck out a line of his own, and it 
was not until we reached Shameen that we all met again. 
Some of the ladies had been rather frightened at finding 
themselves alone in the dark, crowded city. We were only 
just in time to dress and go to dinner, after which we ex- 
amined an interesting collection, chiefly of coins, in process 
of formation for the French Exhibition. They are carefully 
arranged, and will be most valuable and interesting when 
complete. The knife-and-fork coins are particularly 
curious and rare, some of them being worth as much as 
5,000 dollars each, as curiosities. All the coins have 
holes in the centre for convenience of carriage. 

Sunday, March ^th. — There is a fine cathedral at Sha- 
meen, in which the services are beautifully performed. A 
lady kindly lent us her house-boat, and after service we 
rowed across to Fa-ti, to see the gardens of Canton. They 
are laid out on an island a very short way up the river. 
The gardens are very wonderful, and contain plants cut 
into all sorts of shapes, such as men, birds, beasts, fishes, 
boats, houses, furniture, &c. Some are full-sized, others 
only in miniature. But almost all must have required con- 
siderable time and patience to reach their present growth, 
for their ages vary from 10 to 150 years. There are other 
plants not so elaborately trained, but the effect of the whole 
is rather too formal to be pretty. I managed to bring home 
some euphorbias, cut into the form of junks, and some 
banyan trees, one 100 and one 50 years old. I believe they 
are the first that have ever reached England alive and 
have flourished. Not far from Fa-ti are the duck-hatching 
establishments, and still further up the river are the duck 
sampans, where the crowds of ducks are reared. They are 



SILKWORM ESTABLISHMENT. 397 

sent out every morning to get their own living and return 
at night. Until they learn to obey their keeper's call 
quickly the last duck is always whipped. I am told it is 
most ridiculous to see the hurry of the last half-dozen birds 
of a flock of some thousands of ducks. I was most anxious 
to see them, but it is not the right time of year now. The 
young ducks are only just beginning to hatch, and the old 
ones are not numerous, and are mostly laying. 

There was no time to go and see the temple of Honan, 
for we were more anxious to avail ourselves of a chance of 
visiting some interesting places in the Chinese city. We 
went through a street, consisting entirely of fruiterers' shops, 
to which the name of Kwohlaorn, or fruit-market, is applied. 
In this market, which is of great extent, there is for sale at 
all seasons of the year an almost countless variety of fruit 

A silkworm establishment was pointed out to us in the 
distance, but we did not go over it, as we had seen many 
before, and it is not the best season of the year. The silk- 
worms are most carefully tended, the people who look after 
them being obliged to change their clothes before entering 
the rooms where they are kept, and to perform all sorts of 
superstitious ceremonies at every stage of the insect's 
growth. No one at all ailing or deformed is allowed to 
approach a building where they are kept. The worms are 
supposed to be very nervous, and are guarded from every- 
thing that can possibly frighten them, as well as from all 
changes of temperature or disturbances of the atmosphere. 
Thunder and lightning they are supposed specially to dread, 
and great pains are taken to shelter them by artificial 
means, and keep them from all knowledge of the storm. 

The next place we visited was a bird's-nest-soup-shop 
street, where we went into one of the best and most 
extensive establishments. There were three or four well- 
dressed assistants behind the counter, all busily occupied 
in sorting and packing birds' nests. Some of the best 
were as white as snow, and were worth two dollars each, 



398 CRAMPED FEET. 

while a light brown one was worth only one dollar, and 
the black dirty ones, full of feathers and moss, could be 
purchased at the rate of a quarter-dollar. 

Certainly the Chinese seem an exception to the rule 
laid down by some writers, that no people can flourish 
who do not rest every seventh day. In many ways they 
are an abnormal people, one striking point in their con- 
dition being the state of dirt and filth in which they not 
only exist, but increase and multiply. The children look 
healthy and happy too, in spite of these apparent draw- 
backs, and notwithstanding the fact that in many cases 
their poor little feet must be cruelly tortured by the 
practice of bandaging them tightly to make them small. 
When we got back to Shameen there was time for a 
stroll along the Bund. It is very pleasant, for the river 
runs close under the parapet, and its surface is always 
covered with junks, sampans, and boats and ships, going 
swiftly up or down with the strong tide. The walk is 
shaded with trees, and seats stand at intervals all along it. 
An agreeable saunter was followed by a quiet, pleasant 
little dinner, and though we have been here only a few 
days we feel quite sorry that this is to be our last night in 
Canton, so kind has everybody been to us. 

Monday, March $th. — I was awake and writing from 
half-past four this morning, but before I got up, a woman 
who comes here every day to work brought me some 
small ordinary shoes which I had 
purchased as curiosities, and took 
the opportunity of showing me 
her feet. It really made me shud- 
der to look at them, so deformed 
and cramped up were they, and, 
v * * « * as f ar as * could make out, she 

Chinese Foot and Boot. ' 

must have suffered greatly in the 
process of reducing them to their present diminutive size. 
She took off her own shoes and tottered about the room in 




A CROWDED RIVER. 399 

those she had brought, and then asked me to show her one 
of mine. Having most minutely examined it, she observed, 
with a melancholy shake of the head, ' Missisy foot much 
more good, do much walky, walky ; mine much bad, no 
good for walky.' 

Having said farewell to our kind hostess, we went off in 
the house-boat to the steamer. There was a great crowd 
on the lower deck — at least 900 Chinamen — to struggle 
through in order to reach the European quarters. We 
found other friends on board, who had come to see us off. 

A few minutes before nine o'clock the bell rang as a 
signal for our friends' departure, and we steamed ahead, 
among such a crowd of sampans and junks that it was 
more like moving through a town than along a river. No 
accident, however, occurred, though one junk and one 
sampan had the very narrowest escape. 

The voyage down took much longer than our voyage 
up, on account of the tide being against us, and in con- 
sequence we did not reach Hongkong until 3.30 p.m., 
when the gig with the children was soon alongside. We 
got off as soon as we could, for we expected some friends 
to afternoon tea on board the yacht. There was just time 
to dress before the first visitors arrived, and by half-past 
six at least two hundred had come. At one time quite 
a flotilla of boats lay around us, looking very pretty with 
all their flags flying. I think the people enjoyed it very 
much as something new, and we only wanted a band to 
enliven the proceedings. 

Tuesday, March 6th. — The little girls and I went ashore 
at 7.30, to collect all our purchases with the help of a 
friend. We glanced at the museum too, which contains 
some curious specimens of Chinese and Japanese arms 
and armour, and the various productions of the two coun- 
tries, besides many strange things from the Philippine 
and other islands. I was specially interested in the corals 
and shells. There were splendid conch shells from Manilla, 



4©o MACAO. 



and a magnificent group of Venus flower-baskets, dredged 
from some enormous depth near Manilla. There were 
also good specimens of reptiles of all sorts, and of the 
carved birds' heads for which Canton is famous. They 
look -very like amber, and are quite as transparent, being 
carved to a great depth. I believe the bird is a kind of 
toucan or hornbill, but the people here call it a crane. 

It was now time to say good-bye to Hongkong and to 
our kind friends, for we had to go on board the ' Flying 
Cloud,' which starts for Macao at two o'clock precisely, 
and our passages had been taken in her. Tom could not 
go with us, as he had fixed to-night for the dinner at which 
the Chinese gentlemen proposed to entertain him ; but he 
came to see us off. We went out of the harbour by a 
different way, and passed along a different side of the island 
of Hongkong, but the scenery was not particularly interest- 
ing. Oil Choolong a heavy ground-swell, called ' Pon 
choughai/ made us roll about most unpleasantly. In 
bad weather, or with a top-heavy ship, this passage could 
not be attempted. Sometimes there are very heavy fogs v 
and always strong currents, so that the short voyage of 
forty-two miles is not absolutely free from danger. 

The town of Macao is situated on a peninsula at the 
end of the island of the same name. It was the first 
foreign settlement in China belonging to the Portuguese, 
and was once a fine, handsome town, with splendid 
buildings. Unfortunately Macao lies in the track of the 
typhoons, which at times sweep over it with a resistless 
force, shattering and smashing everything in their career. 
These constantly recurring storms, and the establishment 
of other ports, have resulted in driving many people away 
from the place, and the abolition of the coolie traffic has 
also tended to diminish the number of traders. Now the 
town has a desolate, deserted appearance, and the principal 
revenue of the government is derived from the numerous 
gambling-houses. 



CHINESE TOMMY. V>r 

We landed at the pier soon after five o'clock, and were 
carried across the peninsula through the town to the Praya 
on the other side. Here we found a large unoccupied man- 
sion, situated in a garden overlooking the sea, and, having 
delivered our Chinese letters, were received with the greatest 
civility and attention by the comprador and the servants 
who had been left in charge of our friend's house. The 
rooms upstairs, to which we were at once shown, were lofty 
and spacious, opening into a big verandah. Each room had 
a mosquito room inside it, made of wire gauze and wood, 
like a gigantic meat-safe, and capable of containing, besides 
a large double bed, a chair and a table, so that its occupant 
is in a position to read and write in peace, even after dark. 
This was the first time we had seen one of these con- 
trivances. By the direction of the comprador the house 
chairs were prepared, and coolies were provided to take 
us for an expedition round the town, while our things 
were being unpacked, and the necessary arrangements 
made for our comfort. Macao is a thoroughly Portuguese- 
looking town, the houses being painted blue, green, red, 
yellow, and all sorts of colours. It is well garrisoned, and 
one meets soldiers in every direction. We passed the fort, 
and went up to the lighthouse, which commands a fine view 
over land and sea ; returning home by a different way 
through the town again, which we entered just as the 
cathedral bell and the bells of all the churches were peal- 
ing the Ave Maria. On our return we found a fire lighted 
and everything illuminated, and by half-past eight we had 
a capital impromptu dinner served. Chinese Tommy, who 
waited on us, had decorated the table most tastefully with 
flowers. Macao is a favourite resort for the European resi- 
dents of Hongkong who are addicted to gambling. The 
gentlemen of our party went to observe the proceedings, 
but to-night there were only a few natives playing at fan-tan 
— a game which, though a great favourite with the natives 
appears very stupid to a Europeaa The croupier takes 



FAN-TAN. 



a handful of copper cash and throws it upon the table ; 
he then with chop-sticks counts the coins by fours, the 
betting being upon the possible number of the remainder. 
It takes a long time to count a big handful, and you have 
only one, two, three, or four to back — no colours or com- 
binations, as at rouge-et-noir, or trente-et-quarante. 

At Macao the sleep-disturbing watchmen, unlike those 
of Canton, come round every hour and beat two sharp 
taps on a drum at intervals of half a minute, compelling 
you to listen against your will, until the sound dies away 
in the distance for a brief interval. 

Wednesday, March Jth. — We started soon after ten 
o'clock on another exploring expedition, going first, in 
chairs through the town, and across the peninsula to where 
we left the steamer yesterday. Here we embarked — 
chairs, bearers, and all, in a junk, evidently cleaned up for 
the occasion, for it was in beautiful order, and mats were 
spread under an awning upon deck. 

All along beneath the deck was a cabin, between two 
and three feet high, which contained the altar, the kitchen, 
and the sleeping and living apartments of the family. 
There was also a dear little baby, two months old, which 
seemed to take life very quietly, while its mother assisted 
its grandfather to row. 

We soon reached the island of Chock-Sing-Toon, and 
disembarked at a small pier near a village, which looked 
more like sampans pulled up on the shore than huts or 
cottages. The children and I rode in chairs, while the 
gentlemen walked, first over a plain covered with scrubby 
palms, then through miles of well-cultivated plots of 
vegetable ground, till we reached a temple, built at the 
entrance to the valley for which we were bound. Thence 
the path wound beside the stream flowing from the moun- 
tains above, and the vegetation became extremely luxuriant 
and beautiful. Presently we came to a spot where a stone 
bridge spanned the torrent, with a temple on one side and 



CHOCK-SING-TOON. 403 



a joss-house on the other. It was apparently a particularly 
holy place, for our men had all brought quantities of joss- 
sticks and sacred paper with them to burn. There was a 
sort of eating-house close by, where they remained whilst 
we climbed higher up to get a view. The path was well 
made, and evidently much used, judging from the large 
number of natural temples we found adapted and decorated 
among the rocks. As usual, our descent was a compara- 
tively quick affair, and we soon found ourselves on board 
the junk on our way back to Macao, beating across the 
harbour. 

Just before tiffin the yacht made her appearance, caus- 
ing great excitement in the minds of the natives. The gig 
was soon lowered and came as close as she could. There 
was not water enough for her to come within four miles of 
the shore, but we went out to meet her occupants. Tom, who 
was one of them, looked so ill and miserable that I felt 
quite alarmed for a few minutes, till the doctor comforted 
me by assurances that it was only the effect of the Chinese 
dinner last night — an explanation I had no difficulty in 
accepting as the correct one after perusing the bill of fare. 
In their desire to do him honour, and to give him pleasure, 
his hosts had provided the rarest delicacies, and of course 
he felt obliged to taste them all. Some of the dishes were 
excellent, but many of them were rather trying to a Euro- 
pean digestion, especially the fungus and lichen. One 
sort had been grown on ice in the Antarctic Sea, the 
whale's sinews came from the Arctic Ocean, the shark's 
fins from the South Sea Islands, and the birds' nests were 
of a quality to be found only in one particular cave in 
one particular island. To drink, they had champagne in 
English glasses, and arrack in Chinese glasses. The whole 
dinner was eaten with chop-sticks, though spoons were 
allowed for the soup. After dinner there were some good 
speeches, the chief host expressing his deep regret that 
their manners and customs did not permit them to ask 



404 A CHINESE BANQUET. 

ladies, as they were particularly anxious to invite me, and 
had only abandoned the idea of doing so after considerable 
discussion. I append the bill of fare : — 

March 6, 1877. 

BILL OF FARE. 

4 courses of small bowls, one to each guest, vis. — 

Bird's-nest Soup 

Pigeon's Eggs 

Ice Fungus (said to grow in ice) 

Shark's Fins (chopped) 

8 large bowls, viz. — 

Stewed Shark's Fins ' 

Fine Shell Fish 

Mandarin Bird's Nest 

Canton Fish Maw 

Fish Brain 

Meat Balls with Rock Fungus 

Pigeons stewed with Wai Shan (a strengthening herb) 

Stewed Mushroom 



4 dishes, vis.- 



I large dish, via. — 
8 small bowls, vis- 



Sliced Ham 

Roast Mutton 

Fowls 

Roast Sucking Pig 

Boiled Rock Fish 



Stewed Pig's Palate 

Minced Quails 

Stewed Fungus (another description) 

Sinews of the Whale Fish 

Rolled Roast Fowl 

Sliced Teals 

Stewed Duck's Paw 

Peas stewed 

We went all round the town, and then to see the ruins 
of the cathedral, and the traces of the destruction caused by 
the typhoon in 1874. Next we paid a visit to the garden 



LUIZ DE CAMOENS. 405 

of Camoens, where he wrote his poems in exile. 1 The 
garden now belongs to a most courteous old Portuguese, 
with whom I managed, by the aid of a mixture of Spanish 
and French, to hold a conversation. The place where 
Camoens' monument is erected commands, however, an 
extensive prospect, but we had already seen it, and as Tom 
was anxious to get clear of the islands before dark we 
were obliged to hasten away. 

On reaching the yacht, after some delay in embarking, 
we slipped our anchor as quickly as possible, and soon 
found ourselves in a nasty rolling sea, which sent me to 
bed at once. Poor Tom, though he felt so ill that he could 
hardly hold his head up, was, however, obliged to remain on 
deck watching until nearly daylight ; for rocks and islands 
abound in these seas, and no one on board could under- 
take the pilotage except himself. 

Thursday, March 8th. — When I went on deck at half- 
past six o'clock there was nothing to be seen but a leaden 
sky, a cold grey rolling sea, and two fishing junks in the 
far distance, nor did the weather improve all day. 

Friday, March gth. — Everybody began to settle down 
to the usual sea occupations. There was a general hair- 
cutting all round, one of the sailors being a capital barber, 
and there is never time to attend to this matter when 
ashore. The wind was high and baffling all day. At 
night the Great Bear and the Southern Cross shone out 
with rivalling brilliancy: 'On either hand an old friend 
and a new.' 

Saturday, March 10th. — A fine day, with a light fair 
breeze. Passed the island of Hainan, belonging to China, 
situated at the entrance of the Gulf of Tonquin, which, 

1 Luiz de Camoens, a celebrated Portuguese poet, born about 1520; 
fought against the Moors, and in India ; but was often in trouble, and 
was frequently banished or imprisoned. During his exile in Macao 
he wrote his great poem ' The Lusiads,' in which he celebrates the 
principal events in Portuguese tvstory. 



4©6 A RELIC OF THE SEA. 

though very barren-looking, supports a population of 
1 50,000. 

Repacked the curiosities and purchases from Canton 
and Hongkong, and made up our accounts. 

About noon we passed a tall bamboo sticking straight 
up out of the water, and wondered if it were the topmast 
of some unfortunate junk sunk on the Paranella Shoal. 
There were many flying-fish about, and the sunset was 
lovely. 

Sunday, March nth. — We feel that we are going south 
rapidly, for the heat increases day by day. The services 
were held on deck at eleven and four. 

About five o'clock I heard cries of ' A turtle on the 
starboard bow,' ' A wreck on the starboard bow.' I rushed 
out to see what it was, and the men climbed into the 
rigging to obtain a better view of the object. It proved to 
be a large piece of wood, partially submerged, apparently 
about twenty or thirty feet long. The exposed part was 
covered with barnacles and seaweed, and there was a large 
iron ring attached to one end. We were sailing too fast to 
stop, or I should have liked to have sent a boat to examine 
this ' relic of the sea ' more closely. These waifs and 
strays always set me thinking and wondering, and specu- 
lating as to what they were originally, whence they came, 
and all about them, till Tom declares I weave a complete 
legend for every bit of wood we meet floating about. 

Tuesday, March 15th. — About 2.30 a.m. the main peak 
halyards were carried away. Soon after we gybed, and for 
two or three hours knocked about in the most unpleasant 
manner. At daybreak we made the island of Pulu Lapata, 
or Shoe Island, situated on the coast of Cochin China, 
looking snowy white in the early morning light. 

The day was certainly warm, though we were gliding 
on steadily and pleasantly before the north-east monsoon. 

Wednesday, March 14th. — The monsoon sends us along 
at the rate of from six to seven knots an hour, without the 



NEARING SINGAPORE. 407 

slightest trouble or inconvenience. There is an unexpected 
current, though, which sets us about twenty-five miles daily 
to the westward, notwithstanding the fact that a ' southerly 
current ' is marked on the chart. 

March 16th. — There was a general scribble going on 
all over the ship, in preparation for the post to-morrow, as 
we hope to make Singapore to-night, or very early in the 
morning. About noon Pulo Aor was seen on our starboard 
bow. In the afternoon, being so near the Straits, the funnel 
was raised and steam got up. At midnight we made the 
Homburgh Light, and shortly afterwards passed a large 
steamer steering north. It was a glorious night, though 
very hot below, and I spent most of it on deck with Tom, 
observing the land as we slowly steamed ahead half speed. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

SINGAPORE. 

Bttwixi them lawns, or level downs, and flocks 
Grating the tender herb, were interpos'd, 
Or palmy hillock, or the flow' ry lap 
Of some irriguous valley spread her store, 
flsvo'rs cf all hues, and without thoj-n tfu ran. 

Saturday, March ijth. — We were off Singapore during 
the night. At 5 a.m. the pilot came on board and took us 
into Tangong Pagar to coal alongside the wharf. We left 
the ship as soon as possible, and in about an hour we had 
taken forty-three tons of coal on board and nearly twenty 
tons of water. The work was rapidly performed by coolies. 
It was a great disappointment to be told by the harbour- 
master that the Governor of the Straits Settlement and 
Lady Jervoise were to leave at eleven o'clock for Johore. 
We determined to go straight to the Government House 
and make a morning call at the unearthly hour of 8 a.m. 
The drive from the wharf was full of beauty, novelty, and 
interest. We had not landed so near the line before, and 
the most tropical of tropical plants, trees, flowers, and ferns, 
were here to be seen, growing by the roadside on every bank 
and dust-heap. 

The natives, Malays, are a fine-looking, copper-coloured 
race, wearing bright-coloured sarongs and turbans. There 
are many Indians, too, from Madras, almost black, and 
swathed in the most graceful white muslin garments, when 
they are not too hard at work to wear anything at all. 
The young women are very good-looking. They wear not 



DELIGHTFUL PUNKAHS. 4©g 

only one but several rings, and metal ornaments in their 
noses, and a profusion of metal bangles on their arms and 
legs, which jingle and jangle as they move. 

The town of Singapore itself is not imposing, its streets, 
or rather roads of wooden huts and stone houses, being mixed 
together indiscriminately. Government House is on the 
outskirts of the city in the midst of a beautiful park which is 
kept in excellent order, the green turf being closely mown 
and dotted with tropical trees and bushes. The House itself 
is large and handsome, and contains splendid suites of 
lofty rooms, shaded by wide verandahs, full of ferns and 
palms, looking deliciously green and cool. We found the 
Governor and his family did not start until 1 1.30, and they 
kindly begged us to return to breakfast at half-past nine, 
which we did. Before finally leaving, Sir William Jervoise 
sent for the Colonial Secretary, and asked him to look after 
us in his absence. He turned out to be an old schoolfellow 
and college friend of Tom's at Rugby and Oxford ; so the 
meeting was a very pleasant one. As soon as the Governor 
and his suite had set off for Johore we went down into the 
hot dusty town to get our letters, parcels, and papers, and 
to look at the shops. There are not many Malay spe- 
cialities to be bought here ; most of the curiosities come 
from India, China, and Japan, with the exception of birds 
of Paradise from New Guinea, and beautiful bright birds 
of all colours and sizes from the various islands in the 
Malay Archipelago. 

The north-east monsoon still blows fresh and strong, 
but it was nevertheless terribly hot in the streets, and we 
were very glad to return to the cool, shady rooms at 
Government House, where we thoroughly appreciated the 
delights of the punkah. 

There are very few European servants here, and they 
all have their own peons to wait on them, and carry an 
umbrella over them when they drive the carriage or go for 
a walk on their own account. Even the private soldier 



410 THE FRUIT OF THE EAST. 

in Singapore has a punkah pulled over his bed at night. 
It is quite a sight to meet all the coolies leaving barracks at 
5 a.m., when they have done punkah-pulling. 

At four o'clock Mr. Douglas called to take us for a 
drive. We went first to the Botanical Gardens, and saw 
sago-pa!ms and all sorts of tropical produce flourishing in 
perfection. There were many beautiful birds and beasts, 
Argus pheasants, Lyre birds, cuckoos, doves, and pigeons, 
more like parrots than doves in the gorgeous metallic lustre 
of their plumage. The cages were large, and the enclosures 
in front full of Cape jasmine bushes (covered with buds) 
for the birds to peck at and eat. 

From the gardens we went for a drive through the 
pretty villas that surround Singapore in every direction. 
Every house outside the town is built on a separate little 
hill in order to catch every breath of fresh air. There is 
generally rather a long drive up to the houses, and the 
public roads run along the valleys between them. 

It was now dark, and we returned to dine at Govern- 
ment House. 

Sunday, March \%th. — At six o'clock this morning 
Mabelle and I went ashore with the steward and the com- 
prador to the market. It is a nice, clean, octagonal build- 
ing, well supplied with vegetables and curious fruits. The 
latter are mostly brought from the other islands, as this 
is the worst season of the year in Singapore for fruit. I do 
not quite understand why this should be, for, as it is only 
a degree above the line, there is very little variation in 
the seasons here. The sun always rises and sets at six 
o'clock all the year round ; for months they have a north- 
east monsoon, and then for months together a south-west 
monsoon. 

We tasted many fruits new to us — delicious mangos- 
teens, lacas, and other fruits whose names I could not 
ascertain. Lastly, we tried a durian, the fruit of the East, 
as it is called by people who live here, and having got 



PARROTS AND PARRAKEETS. 4" 

over the first horror of the onion-like odour we found it by 
no means bad. 

The fish market is the cleanest, and best arranged, and 
sweetest smelling that I ever went through. It is situated 
on a sort of open platform, under a thick thatched roof, built 
out over the sea, so that all the refuse is easily disposed of 
and washed away by the tide. From the platform on 
which it stands, two long jetties run some distance out into 
the sea, so that large fishing boats can come alongside and 
discharge their cargoes from the deep at the door of the 
market with scarcely any exposure to the rays of the 
tropical sun. 

The poultry market is a curious place. On account of 
the intense heat everything is brought alive to the market, 
and the quacking, cackling, gobbling, and crowing that go 
on are really marvellous. The whole street is alive with 
birds in baskets, cages, and coops, or tied by the leg and 
thrown down anyhow. There were curious pheasants and 
jungle-fowl from Perak, doves, pigeons, quails, besides cocka- 
toos, parrots, parrakeets, and lories. They are all very tame 
and very cheap ; and some of the scarlet lories, looking like 
a flame of fire, chatter in the most amusing way. I have a 
cage full of tiny parrots not bigger than bullfinches, of a 
dark green colour, with dark red throats and blue heads, 
yellow marks on the back, and red and yellow tails. Having 
bought these, everybody seemed to think that I wanted an 
unlimited supply of birds, and soon we were surrounded by 
a chattering crowd, all with parrots in their hands and on 
their shoulders. It was a very amusing sight, though rather 
noisy, and the competition reduced the prices very much. 
Parrakeets ranged from twelve to thirty cents apiece, talking 
parrots and cockatoos from one to five dollars. At last 
the vendors became so energetic that I was glad to get into 
the gharry again, and drive away to a flower shop, where 
we bought some gardenias for one penny a dozen, beauti- 
fully fresh and fragrant, but with painfully short stalks. 



412 BIRD-BOATS. 



Towards the end of the south-west monsoon, little 
native open boats arrive from the islands 1,500 to 3,000 
miles to the southward of Singapore. Each has one little 
tripod mast. The whole family live on board. The sides 
of the boat cannot be seen for the multitudes of cockatoos, 
parrots, parrakeets, and birds of all sorts, fastened on little 
perches, with very short strings attached to them. The 
decks are covered with sandal-wood. The holds are full of 
spice, shells, feathers, and South Sea pearl shells. With this 
cargo they creep from island to island, and from creek to 
creek, before the monsoon, till they reach their destination. 
They stay a month or six weeks, change their goods for 
iron, nails, a certain amount of pale green or Indian red 
thread for weaving, and some pieces of Manchester cotton. 
They then go back with the north-east monsoon, selling 
their goods at the various islands on their homeward route. 
There are many Dutch ports nearer than Singapore, but 
they are over-regulated, and preference is given to the free 
English port, where the simple natives can do as they like 
so long as they do not transgress the laws. 

As we were going on board, we met the Maharajah of 
Johore's servant, just going off with invitations to dinner, 
lunch, and breakfast for the next two days for all our 
party, and with all sorts of kind propositions for shooting 
and other amusements. 

Some of our friends came off before luncheon to see 
the yacht, and we returned with them to tiffin at Govern- 
ment House. At four o'clock the carriage came round to 
take us to Johore. We wished good-bye to Singapore and 
all our kind friends, and started on a lovely drive through 
the tropical scenery. There is a capital road, fifteen miles 
in length, across the island, and our little ponies rattled 
along at a good pace. There was a pleasant breeze and not 
much dust, no sun, and a stream ran the whole way by the 
side of the road. The acacia flamboyante — that splendid 
tree which came originally from Rangoon and Sumatra — 



AC AC/A FLAMBOYANTE. 413 

was planted alongside the road, and produced a most 
charming effect. It is a large tree, with large leaves of the 
most delicate green ; on its topmost boughs grow gorgeous 
clusters of scarlet flowers with yellow centres, and the 
effect of these scarlet plumes tossing in the air is truly 
beautiful. As we were driving along we espied a splendid 
butterfly, with wings about ten inches long. Mr. Bingham 
jumped out of the carriage and knocked it down with his 
hat ; but it was so like the colour of leaves in grass that in 
the twilight nobody could distinguish it, and, to our great 
disappointment, we could not find it. We were equally 
unsuccessful in our attempted capture of a water-snake a 
couple of feet long. We threw sticks and stones and our 
syce waded into the stream, but all to no purpose ; it glided 
away into some safe little hole under the bank. 

We reached the sea-shore about six o'clock, and found 
the Maharajah's steam-launch waiting to convey us across 
the Straits to the mainland. These Straits used to be the 
old route to Singapore, and are somewhat intricate. Tom 
engaged a very good pilot to bring the yacht round, but at 
the last moment thought that he should like to bring her 
himself ; the result being that he arrived rather late for 
dinner. The Maharajah and most of the party were out 
shooting when we arrived ; but Sir William Jervoise met 
us and showed us round the place, and also arranged about 
rooms for us to dress in. Johore is a charming place ; the 
Straits are so narrow and full of bends that they look more 
like a peaceful river or inland lake in the heart of a tropical 
forest than an arm of the mighty ocean. As we ap- 
proached we had observed a good deal of smoke rising 
from the jungle, and, as the shades of evening closed over 
the scene, we could see the lurid glare of two extensive 
fires. 

We sat down thirty to dinner at eight o'clock. There 
were the Maharajah's brothers, the Prime Minister, Harkim 
or judge, and several other Malay chiefs, the Governor 



*I4 



MAHARAJAH OF JOHORE. 



of the Straits Settlements, his family and suite, and one 
or two people from Singapore. The dinner was cooked 
and served in European style ; the table decorated with 
gold and silver epergnes full of flowers, on velvet stands, 
and with heaps of small cut-flower glasses full of jasmine. 
We were waited on by the Malay servants of the establish- 
ment, dressed in grey and yellow, and by the Governor's 
Madras servants, in white and scarlet. The Maharajah 
and his native guests were all in English evening dress, 




Maharajah of Johore'B House. 

with white waistcoats, bright turbans, and sarongs. The 
room was large and open on all sides, and the fresh evening 
breeze, in addition to the numerous punkahs, made it de- 
lightfully cool. The Maharajah is a strict Mohammedan 
himself, and drinks nothing but water. I spent the three 
hours during which the dinner lasted in very pleasant con- 
versation with my two neighbours. We returned on board 
soon after eleven o'clock. 

Monday, March 19th. — Mabelle and I went ashore at 
six o'clock for a drive. It was a glorious morning, with a 



PEPPER, GAMBIR, AND INDIGO. 415 

delightfully cool breeze, and the excursion was most en- 
joyable. We drove first through the old town of Johore, 
once of considerable importance, and still a place of trade 
for opium, indigo, pepper, and other tropical products. 
Nutmeg and maize used to be the great articles of export, 
but latterly the growth has failed, and, instead of the 
groves we had expected to see, there were only solitary 
trees. After leaving the town we went along a good road 
for some distance, with cottages and clearings on either 
side, until we came to a pepper and gambir plantation. 
The two crops are cultivated together, and both are grown 
on the edge of the jungle, for the sake of the wood, which 
is burned in the preparation of the gambir. I confess that 
I had never heard of the latter substance before, but I find 
that it is largely exported to Europe, where it is occasion- 
ally employed for giving weight to silks, and for tanning 
purposes. 

The pepper garden we saw was many acres in extent. 
Some of the trees in the forest close by are very fine, 
especially the camphor-wood, and the great red, purple, and 
copper-coloured oleanders, which grow in clumps twenty 
and thirty feet in height. The orchids with which all the 
trees were covered, hanging down in long tassels of lovely 
colours, or spread out like great spotted butterflies and 
insects, were most lovely of all. By far the most abundant 
was the white phalaenopsis, with great drooping sprays of 
pure white waxy blossoms, some delicately streaked with 
crimson, others with yellow. It was a genuine jungle, and 
we were told that it is the resort of numerous tigers and 
elephants, and that snakes abound. 

On our way back through the town we stopped to see 
the process of opium making. This drug is brought from 
India in an almost raw state, rolled up in balls, about the 
size of billiard balls, and wrapped in its own leaves. 
Here it is boiled down, several times refined, and prepared 
for smoking. The traffic in it forms a very profitable 



4l6 DORMANT CAPITAL. 

monopoly, which is shared in Singapore between the 
English Government and the Maharajah of Johore. 

We also saw indigo growing ; the dye is prepared very 
much in the same way as the gambir. That grown here 
is not so good as that which comes from India, and it is 
therefore not much exported, though it is used by the in- 
numerable Chinese in the Malay peninsula to dye all their 
clothes, which are invariably of some deep shade of blue. 
We saw sago-palms growing, but the mill was not work- 
ing, so that we could not see the process of manufacture ; 
but it seems to be yery similar to the preparation of tapioca, 
which we had seen in Brazil. 

On our passage through the town we went to look at a 
large gambling establishment ; of course no one was play- 
ing so early in the morning, but in the evening it is always 
densely crowded, and is a great source of profit to the pro- 
prietor. I could not manage to make out exactly from the 
description what the game they play is like, but it was 
not fan-tan. We now left the carriage, and strolled to see 
the people, the shops, and the market I bought all sorts 
of common curiosities, little articles of everyday life, some 
of which will be sure to amuse and interest my English 
friends. Among my purchases were a wooden pillow, some 
joss candles, a two-stringed fiddle, and a few preserved 
eggs, which they say are over a hundred years old. The 
eggs are certainly nasty enough for anything; still it seems 
strange that so thrifty a people as the Chinese should allow 
so much capital to lie dormant — literally buried in the earth. 

At half-past nine o'clock the Maharajah, with the 
Governor and all his guests, came on board. His Highness 
inspected the yacht with the utmost minuteness and 
interest, though his Mohammedan ideas about women were 
considerably troubled when he was told that I had had a 
great deal to do with the designing and arrangement of the 
interior. At half-past eleven the party left, and an hour 
afterwards we went to make our adieux to the Maharajah. 



GOOD-BYE TO THE MAHARAJAH. 



*I7 



On our departure the Maharajah ordered twenty coolies 
to accompany us, laden with fragrant tropical plants. He 
also gave me some splendid Malay silk sarongs, grown, made, 
and woven in his kingdom, a pair of tusks of an elephant 
shot within a mile of the house, besides a live little beast, not 
an alligator, and not an arma- 
dillo or a lizard ; in fact I do 
not know what it is ; it clings 
round my arm just like a 
bracelet, and it was sent as 
a present by the ex-Sultan 
of Johore. Having said fare- 
well to our kind host and 
other friends, we pushed off 
from the shore, and embarked 
on board the yacht ; the anchor 
was up, and by five o'clock 
a bend in the Straits hid hos- 
pitable and pleasant Johore 
from our view, and all we 
could see was the special 
steamer on her way back to 
Singapore with the Mahara- -^ pet ManiB 

jah's guests on board. At 

Tanjore we dropped our funny little pilot, and proceeded 
on our course towards Penang. The Straits are quite 
lovely, and fully repaid the trouble and time involved in 
the detour made to visit them. The sun set and the young 
moon arose over as lovely a tropical scene as you can 
possibly imagine. 

Tuesday, March 20th. — At 5.30, when we were called, 
the Doctor came and announced that he had something very 
important to communicate to us. This proved to be that 
one of our men was suffering from small-pox, and not from 
rheumatic fever, as had been supposed. My first thought 
was that Muriel had been with the Doctor to see him 




a.16 SMALL-POX ON BOARD. 

yesterday evening ; my next, that many men had been 
sleeping in the same part of the vessel with him ; my third, 
that for his greater comfort he had been each day in our 
part of the ship ; and my fourth, what was to be done now ? 
After a short consultation, Tom decided to alter our course 
for Malacca, where we arrived at half-past nine ; the Doctor 
at once went on shore in a native prahu to make the best 
arrangements he could under the circumstances. He 
was fortunate enough to find Dr. Simon, nephew of the 
celebrated surgeon of the same name, installed as head 
physician at the civil hospital here. He came off at once 
with the hospital boat, and, having visited the invalid, de- 
clared his illness to be a very mild case of small-pox. He 
had brought off some lymph with him, and recommended 
us all to be re-vaccinated. He had also brought sundry 
disinfectants, and gave instructions about fumigating and 
disinfecting the yacht. All the men were called upon the 
quarter-deck, and addressed by Tom, and we were sur- 
prised to find what a large proportion of them objected to 
the operation of vaccination. At last, however, the preju- 
dices of all of them, except two, were overcome. One of 
the latter had promised his grandfather that he never would 
be vaccinated under any circumstances, while another would 
consent to be inoculated, but would not be vaccinated. 
We had consulted our own medical man before leaving 
England, and knew that for ourselves the operation was 
not necessary, but we nevertheless underwent it pour en- 
courager les atitres. While the Doctor was on shore we had 
been surrounded by boats bringing monkeys, birds, ratan 
and Malacca canes, fruit, rice, &c, to sell, and as I did not 
care to go ashore, thinking there might be some bother 
about quarantine, we made bargains over the side of the 
yacht with the traders, the result being that seven monkeys, 
about fifty birds of sorts, and innumerable bundles of 
canes, were added to the stock on board. In the mean- 
time Dr. Simon had removed our invalid to the hospital. 



STRAITS OF MALACCA. 419 

Malacca looks exceedingly pretty from the sea. It is 
a regular Malay village, consisting of huts, built on piles 
close to the water, overshadowed by cocoa palms and other 
forms of tropical vegetation. Mount Ofia rises in the 
distance behind ; there are many green islands, too, in the 
harbour. By one o'clock we were again under way, and 
once more en route for Penang. 

Wednesday, March 21st. — During the night we had 
heavy thunder storms. About 1 1 a.m. we passed a piece 
of drift-wood with a bird perched on the top, presenting a 




most curious effect. Several of the men on board mistook 
it for the back fin of a large shark. About 5 p.m. we made 
the island of Penang. After sunset it became very hazy, 
and we crept slowly up, afraid of injuring the numerous 
stake nets that are set about the Straits most promis- 
cuously, and without any lights to mark their position. 
Before midnight we had dropped our anchor. 

Thursday, March 22nd. — At 5 a.m., when we were 
called, the whole sky was overcast with a lurid glare, and 
the atmosphere was thick, as if with the fumes of some 
vast conflagration. As the sun rose in raging fierceness, 



4 2o NO QUARANTINE. 

the sky cleared, and became of a deep, clear, transparent 
blue. The island of Penang is very beautiful, especially in 
the early morning light. It was fortunate we did not try 
to come in last night, as we could now see that we must 
inevitably have run through some of the innumerable stake 
nets I mentioned. As we approached Georgetown, the 
capital of the province, we passed many steamers and 
sailing ships at anchor in the roads. A pilot offered his 
services, but Tom declined them with thanks, and soon 
afterwards skilfully brought us up close in shore in the 
crowded roadstead. The harbour-master sent off, as did 
also the mail-master, but no Board of Health officials 
appeared ; so, after some delay, the Doctor went on shore 
to find the local medical man, promising shortly to return. 
He did not, however, reappear, and, after waiting a couple 
of hours, we landed without opposition. We packed off all 
the servants for a run on shore, and had all the fires put 
out in order to cool the ship. Our first inquiry was for 
an hotel where we could breakfast, and we were recom- 
mended to go to the H6tel de 1' Europe. 

Our demands for breakfast were met at first with the 
reply that it was too late, and that we must wait till one 
o'clock tiffin ; but a little persuasion induced the manager 
to find some cold meat, eggs, and lemonade. We after- 
wards drove out to one or two shops, but anything so hope- 
less as the stores here I never saw. Not a single curiosity 
could we find, not even a bird. We drove round the town, 
and out to the Governor's house ; he was away, but we 
were most kindly received by Mrs. Anson and his daughter, 
and strongly recommended by them to make an expedi- 
tion to the bungalow at the top of the hill. In about an 
hour and a half, always ascending, we reached the Gover- 
nor's bungalow, situated in a charming spot, where the dif- 
ference of io° in the temperature, caused by being 1,500 feet 
higher up, is a great boon. After tiffin and a rest at the 
hotel, a carriage came to take us to the foot of the hill. 



THE MOUNT, PENANG. 



about four miles from the town. We went first to a large 
Jesuit establishment, where some most benevolent old 
priests were teaching a large number of Malay boys reading, 
writing, and geography. Then we went a little further, 
and, in a small wooden house, under the cocoa trees, at last 
found some of the little humming birds for which the 
Malay Archipelago is famous. They glisten with a mar- 
vellous metallic lustre all over their bodies, instead of only 
in patches, as one sees upon those in South America and 
the West Indies. The drive was intensely tropical in cha- 
racter, until we reached the waterfall, where we left the 
carriage and got into chairs, each carried by six coolies. 
The scenery all about the waterfall is lovely, and a large 
stream of sparkling, cool, clear water tumbling over the 
rocks was most refreshing to look at. Many people who 
have business in Penang live up here, riding up and down 
morning and evening, for the sake of the cool, refreshing 
night air. One of the most curious things in vegetation 
which strikes our English eyes is the extraordinary abun- 
dance of the sensitive plant. It is interwoven with all the 
grass, and grows thickly in all the hedgerows. In the 
neatly kept turf, round the Government bungalow, its long, 
creeping, prickly stems, acacia-like leaves, and little fluffy 
mauve balls of flowers are so numerous, that, walking up 
and down the croquet lawn, it appears to be bowing before 
you, for the delicate plants are sensible of even an ap- 
proaching footstep, and shut up and hide their tiny leaves 
among the grass long before you really reach them. 

From the top of the hill you can see ninety miles in the 
clear atmosphere, far away across the Straits of Perak to 
the mainland. We could not stay long, and were carried 
down the hill backwards, as our bearers were afraid of our 
tumbling out of the chairs if we travelled forwards. The 
tropical vegetation is even more striking here, but, alas! it is 
already losing its novelty to us. Those were indeed pleasant 
days when everything was new and strange ; it seems now 



432 EVENING IN PENANG. 

almost as if years, not months, had gone past since we 
first entered these latitudes. We found the carriage waiting 
for us when we arrived at the bottom of the hill about seven 
o'clock, and it was not long before we reached the town. 

The glowworms and fireflies were numerous. The 
natives were cooking their evening meal on the ground be- 
neath the tall palm-trees as we passed, with the glare of the 
fires lighting up the picturesque huts, their dark figures re- 
lieved by their white and scarlet turbans and waist-cloth. 
The whole scene put us very much in mind of the old 
familiar pictures of India, the lithe figures of the natives 
looking like beautiful bronze statues, the rough country 
carts, drawn by buffaloes without harness, but dragging by 
their hump, and driven by black-skinned natives armed 
with a long goad. We went straight to the jetty, and 
found to our surprise that in the roads there was quite a 
breeze blowing, and a very strong tide running against 
it, which made the sea almost rough. 

Mrs. and Miss Anson, Mr. Talbot, and other friends, 
dined with us. At eleven they landed, and we weighed 
anchor, and were soon gliding through the Straits of 
Malacca, shaping for Acheen Head, en route to Galle. 

It seems strange that an important English settlement 
like Penang, where so many large steamers and ships are 
constantly calling, should be without lights or quarantine 
laws. We afterwards learned on shore that the local 
government had already surveyed and fixed a place for 
two leading lights. The reason why no health officer? 
came off to us this morning was probably that, small- 
pox and cholera both being prevalent in the town, they 
thought that the fewer questions they asked, and the less 
they saw of incoming vessels, the better. 

Friday, March 2$rd. — A broiling day, everybody pant- 
ing, parrots and parrakeets dying. We passed a large 
barque with every sail set, although it was a flat calm, which 
made us rejoice in the possession of steam-power. Several 



INTENSE HEAT. 



♦23 



people on board are very unwell, and the engineer is really 
ill. It is depressing to speculate what would become of us 
if anything went wrong in the engine-room department, and 
if we should be reduced to sail-power alone in this region 
of calmness. At last even I know what it is to be too hot, 
and am quite knocked up with my short experience. 




How the Journal was written. 



Saturday, March 24th. — Another flat calm. The after- 
forecastle, having been battened down and fumigated for 
the last seventy-two hours, was to-day opened, and its con- 
tents brought up on deck, some to be thrown overboard, 
and others to be washed with carbolic acid. I never saw 
such quantities of things as were turned out ; they covered 
the whole deck, and it seemed as if their cubic capacity must 



424 MEETING A FRIEND. 

be far greater than that of the place in which they had been 
stowed. Besides the beds and tables of eight men, there 
were forty-eight birds, four monkeys, two cockatoos, and a 
tortoise, besides Japanese cabinets and boxes of clothes, 
books, china, coral, shells, and all sorts of imaginable and 
unimaginable things. One poor tortoise had been killed 
and bleached white by the chlorine gas. 

Sunday, March 2$th. — Hotter than ever. It was quite 
impossible to have service either on deck or below. We 
always observe Sunday by showing a little extra attention 
to dress, and, as far as the gentlemen are concerned, a little 
more care in the matter of shaving. On other days I fear 
our toilets would hardly pass muster in civilised society. 
Tom set the example of leaving off collars, coats, and 
waistcoats ; so shirts and trousers are now the order of the 
day. The children wear grass-cloth pinafores and very little 
else, no shoes or stockings, Manilla or Chinese slippers being 
worn by those who dislike bare feet. I find my Tahitian 
and Hawaiian dresses invaluable : they are really cool, loose, 
and comfortable, and I scarcely ever wear anything else. 

We passed a large steamer about 7.30 a.m., and in the 
afternoon altered our course to speak the ' Middlesex,' of 
London, bound to the Channel for orders. We had quite a 
long conversation with the captain, and parted with mutual 
good wishes for a pleasant voyage. It was a lovely moon- 
light night, but very hot, though we found a delightful 
sleeping-place beneath the awning on deck. 

Monday, March 26th. — The sun appeared to rise even 
fiercer and hotter than ever this morning. I have been 
very anxious for the last few days about Baby, who has 
been cutting some teeth and has suffered from a rash. 
Muriel has been bitten all over by mosquitoes, and Mabelle 
has also suffered from heat-rash. Just now every little ail- 
ment suggests small-pox to our minds. 

About noon, when in latitude 6.25 North, and in longi- 
tude 88.25 East, we began to encounter a great deal of drift 



BOAT OR TREE? 435 



wood, many large trees, branches, plants, leaves, nautilus 
shells, back-bones of cuttlefish, and, in addition, large 
quantities of yellow spawn, evidently deposited by some 
fish of large size. The spawn appeared to be of a very 
solid, consistent character, like large yellow grapes, con- 
nected together in a sort of gelatinous mass. It formed a 
continuous wide yellow streak perhaps half a mile in length, 
and with the bits of wood and branches sticking up in its 
midst at intervals, it would not have required a very lively 
imagination to fashion it at a little distance into a sea ser- 
pent. Where does all this dibris come from ? . was the 
question asked by everybody. Out of the Bay of Bengal 
probably, judging from the direction of the current. We 
wondered if it could possibly be the remains of some of 
the trees uprooted by the last great cyclone. 

At 1.30 p.m. a man cried out from the rigging, ' Boat on 
the starboard bow ! ' a cry that produced great excitement 
immediately ; our course was altered and telescopes and 
glasses brought to bear upon the object in question. Every 
one on board, except our old sailing master, said it was a 
native boat. Some even said that they could see a man 
on board waving something. Powell alone declared it to be 
the root of a palm from the Bay of Bengal, and he proved 
right. A very large root it was, with one single stem and a 
few leaves hanging down, which had exactly the appearance 
of broken masts, tattered sails, and torn rigging. We went 
close alongside to have a good look at it ; the water was as 
clear as crystal, and beneath the surface were hundreds of 
beautifully coloured fish, greedily devouring something — I 
suppose small insects, or fish entangled among the roots. 

Tuesday, March 2jth. — It requires a great effort to do 
anything, except before sunrise or after sunset, owing to 
the intense heat ; and when one is not feeling well it makes 
exertion still more difficult. At night the heat below is 
simply unbearable ; the cabins are deserted, and all mat- 
tresses are brought ud on deck. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

CEYLON. 

Thus was this place 
A happy rural seat of various views, 
Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums and balm, 
Others, whose fruit, burnish' d with golden rind. 
Hung amiable, Hesperian fables true. 

Wednesday, March 2%tk. — At midnight the wind was 
slightly ahead, and we could distinctly smell the fragrant 
breezes and spicy odours of Ceylon. We made the eastern 
side of the island at daylight, and coasted along its palm- 
fringed shores all day. I had been very unwell for some 
days past, but this delightful indication of our near ap- 
proach to the land seemed to do me good at once. If 
only the interior is as beautiful as what we can see from the 
deck of the yacht, my expectations will be fully realised, 
brilliant as they are. 

As the sun set, the beauty of the scene from the deck of 
the yacht seemed to increase. We proceeded slowly, and at 
about nine o'clock were in the roads of Galle and could see 
the ships at anchor. Tom did not like to venture further in 
the dark without a pilot, and accordingly told the signal- 
man to make signals for one, but being impatient he sent 
up a rocket, besides burning blue lights, a mistake which 
had the effect of bringing the first officer of the P. and O. 
steamship ' Poonah ' on board, who thought perhaps we 
had got aground or were in trouble of some sort. He 
also informed us that pilots never came off after dark, and 
kindly offered to show us a grood anchorage for the nigrht 



HARBOUR AT GALLE. 427 

Thursday, March 2Qth. — The pilot came off early, and 
soon after six we dropped anchor in Galle harbour. The 
entrance is fine, and the bay one of the most beautiful in 
the world. The picturesque town, with its old buildings, and 
the white surf dashing in among the splendid cocoa-trees 
which grow down to the water's edge, combined to make up 
a charming picture. We went on board the ' Poonah ' to 
breakfast as arranged, and afterwards all over the ship, 
which is in splendid order. Thence we went ashore 
to the Oriental Company's Hotel, a most comfortable 
building, with a large, shady verandah, which to-day was 
crowded by passengers from the 'Poonah.' At tiffin 
there was a great crowd, and we met some old friends. At 
three o'clock we returned to the yacht, to show her to the 
captain of the ' Poonah ' and some of his friends, and an 
hour later we started in two carriages for a drive to Wock- 
walla, a hill commanding a splendid view. The drive was 
delightful, and the vegetation more beautiful than any we 
have seen since leaving Tahiti, but it would have been more 
enjoyable if we had not been so pestered by boys selling 
flowers and bunches of mace in various stages of develop- 
ment. It certainly is very pretty when the peach-like fruit 
is half open and shows the network of scarlet mace sur- 
rounding the brown nutmeg within. From Wockwalla the 
view is lovely, over paddy-fields, jungle, and virgin forest, 
up to the hills close by and to the mountains beyond. There 
is a small refreshment-room at the top of the hill, kept by a 
nice little mulatto woman and her husband. Here we drank 
lemonade, ate mangoes, and watched the sun gradually 
declining, but we were obliged to leave before it had set, 
as we wanted to visit the cinnamon gardens on our way 
back. The prettiest thing in the whole scene was the river 
running through the middle of the landscape, and the white- 
winged, scarlet-bodied cranes, disporting themselves along 
the banks among the dark green foliage and light green 
shoots of the crimson-tipped cinnamon-trees. We had a 



428 PRECIOUS STONES. 

glorious drive home along the sea-shore under cocoanut 
trees, amongst which the fireflies flitted, and through which 
we could see the red and purple afterglow of the sunset. 
Ceylon is, as every one knows, celebrated for its real gems, 
and almost as much for the wonderful imitations offered for 
sale by the natives. Some are made in Birmingham and 
exported, but many are made here and in India, and are 
far better in appearance than ours, or even those of Paris. 
More than once in the course of our drive, half-naked Indians 
produced from their waist-cloths rubies, sapphires, and 
emeralds for which they asked from one to four thousand 
rupees, and gratefully took fourpence, after a long run with 
the carriage, and much vociferation and gesticulation. After 
table-d' hote dinner at the hotel we went off to the yacht 
in a pilot boat ; the buoys were all illuminated, and boats 
with four or five men in them, provided with torches, were 
in readiness to show us the right way out. By ten o'clock 
we were outside the harbour and on our way to Colombo. 

Friday, March lotk. — It rained heavily during the 
night, and we were obliged to sleep in the deck-house instead 
of on deck. At daylight all was again bright and beautiful, 
and the cocoanut-clad coast of Ceylon looked most fasci- 
nating in the early morning light. About ten o'clock we 
dropped our anchor in the harbour at Colombo, which was 
crowded with shipping. 175,000 coolies have been landed 
here within the last two or three months ; consequently 
labour is very cheap this year in the coffee plantations. 

The instant we anchored we were of course surrounded 
by boats selling every possible commodity and curiosity, 
carved ebony, ivory, sandal-wood, and models of the curious 
boats in use here. These boats are very long and narrow, 
with an enormous outrigger and large sail, and when it is 
very rough, nearly the whole of the crew of the boat go out 
one by one, and sit on the outrigger to keep it in the water, 
from which springs the Cingalese saying, ' One man, two 
men, four men breeze.' The heat was intense, though there 



COLOMBO. 4.29 



was a pleasant breeze under the awning on deck ; we there- 
fore amused ourselves by looking over the side and bar- 
gaining with the natives, until our letters, which we had 
sent for, arrived. About one o'clock we went ashore, en- 
countering on our way some exceedingly dreadful smells, 
wafted from ships laden with guano, bones, and other odori- 
ferous cargoes. The inner boat harbour is unsavoury and 
unwholesome to the last degree, and is just now crowded with 
many natives of various castes from the south of India. 

Colombo is rather a European-looking town, with fine 
buildings and many open green spaces, where there were 
actually soldiers playing cricket, with great energy, under 
the fierce rays of the midday sun. We went at once to 
an hotel and rested ; loitering after tiffin in the verandah, 
which was as usual crowded with sellers of all sorts of 
Indian things. Most of the day was spent in driving 
about, and having made our arrangements for an early start 
to-morrow, we then walked down to the harbour, getting 
drenched on our way by a tremendous thunderstorm. 

Saturday, March list. — Up early, and after rather a 
scramble we went ashore at seven o'clock, just in time 
to start by the first train to Kandy. There was not much 
time to spare, and we therefore had to pay sovereigns for 
our tickets instead of changing them for rupees, thereby 
receiving only ten instead of eleven and a half, the current 
rate of exchange that day. It seemed rather sharp prac- 
tice on the part of the railway company (alias the Govern- 
ment) to take sovereigns in at the window at ten rupees, 
and sell them at the door for eleven and a half, to spe- 
culators waiting ready and eager to clutch and sell them 
again at an infinitesimally small profit. 

The line to Kandy is always described as one of the 
most beautiful railways in the world, and it certainly deserves 
the character. The first part of the journey is across jungle 
and through plains ; then one goes climbing up and up, 
looking down on all the beauties of tropical vegetation, 



+3o EASTER AT KANDY. 

to distant mountains shimmering in the glare and haze of 
the burning sun. The carriages were well ventilated and 
provided with double roofs, and were really tolerably cool. 

About nine o'clock we reached Ambepussa, and the 
scenery increased in beauty from this point. A couple of 
hours later we reached Peradeniya, the junction for Gam- 
pola. Here most of the passengers got out, bound for 
Neuera-ellia, the sanatorium of Ceylon, 7,000 feet above 
the sea. Soon after leaving the station, we passed the 
Satinwood Bridge. Here we had a glimpse of the bota- 
nical garden at Kandy, and soon afterwards reached the 
station. We were at once rushed at by two telegraph 
boys, each with a telegram of hospitable invitation, whilst 
a third friend met us with his carriage, and asked us to go 
at once to his house, a few miles out of Kandy. We 
hesitated to avail ourselves of his kind offer, as we were 
such a large party ; but he insisted, and at once set off 
to make things ready for us, whilst we went to breakfast 
and rest at a noisy, dirty, and uncomfortable hotel. It 
was too hot to do anything except to sit in the verandah and 
watch planter after planter come in for an iced drink at 
the bar. The town is quite full for Easter, partly for the 
amusements and partly for the Church services ; for on 
many of the coffee estates there is no church within a 
reasonable distance. 

About four o'clock the carriage came round for us, and 
having despatched the luggage in a gharry, we drove 
round the lovely lake, and so out to Peradeniya, where our 
friend lives, close to the Botanic Gardens. Many of the 
huts and cottages by the roadside have ' small-pox ' 
written upon them in large letters, in three languages, 
English, Sanscrit, and Cingalese, a very sensible precau- 
tion, for the natives are seldom vaccinated, and this terrible 
disease is a real scourge amongst them. Having reached 
the charming bungalow, it was a real luxury to lounge in 
a comfortable easy chair in a deep cool verandah, and to 



TALLIPOT PALMS. 43* 

inhale the fragrance of the flowers, whilst lazily watching the 
setting of the sun. Directly it dipped below the horizon, 
glowworms and fireflies came out, bright and numerous as 
though the stars had come down to tread, or rather fly, a 
fairy dance among the branches of the tall palm-trees 
high overhead. Our rooms were most comfortable, and 
the baths delicious. After dinner we all adjourned once 
more to the verandah to watch the dancing fireflies, the 
lightning, and the heavy thunderclouds, and enjoy the cool 
evening breeze. You in England who have never been in 
the tropics cannot appreciate the intense delight of that 
sensation. Then we went to bed, and passed a most luxu- 
rious night of cool and comfortable sleep, not tossing rest- 
lessly about, as we had been doing for some time past. 

Sunday, April ist. — I awoke before daylight. Our 
bed faced the windows, which were wide open, without 
blinds, curtains, or shutters, and I lay and watched the 
light gradually creeping over the trees, landscape, and 
garden, and the sun rising glorious from behind the distant 
mountains, shining brightly into the garden, drawing out a 
thousand fresh fragrances from every leaf and flower. 

By seven o'clock we found ourselves enjoying an early 
tea within the pretty bungalow in the centre of the Botanic 
Gardens, and thoroughly appreciating delicious fresh butter 
and cream, the first we have tasted for ages. We went for the 
most delightful stroll afterwards, and saw for the first time 
many botanical curiosities, and several familiar old friends 
growing in greater luxuriance than our eyes are even yet 
accustomed to. The groups of palms were most beautiful. 
I never saw anything finer than the tallipot-palm, and the 
areca, with the beetle-vine climbing round it ; besides 
splendid specimens of the kitool or jaggery-palm. Then 
there was the palmyra, which to the inhabitant of the North 
of Ceylon is what the cocoa-nut is to the inhabitant of the 
South — food, clothing, and lodging. The pitcher- plants 
and the rare scarlet amherstia looked lovely, as did also the 



432 AMERICAN LILIES. 

great groups of yellow and green stemmed bamboos. There 
were magnolias, shaddocks, hibiscus, the almost too fra- 
grant yellow-flowered champac, sacred to Hindoo mytho- 
logy ; nutmeg and cinnamon trees, tea and coffee, and 
every other conceivable plant and tree, growing in the 
wildest luxuriance. Through the centre of the gardens 
flows the river Ambang Ganga, and the whole 140 acres 
are laid out so like an English park that, were it not for 
the unfamiliar foliage, you might fancy yourself at home. 

We drove back to our host's to breakfast, and directly 
afterwards started in two carriages to go to church at 
Kandy. The church is a fine large building, lofty, and 
cool, and well ventilated. This being Easter Sunday, the 
building was lavishly decorated with palms and flowers. 
The service was well performed, and the singing was excel- 
lent. The sparrows flew in and out by the open doors and 
windows. One of the birds was building a nest in a corner, 
and during the service she added to it a marabout feather, 
a scrap of lace, and an end of pink riband. It will be a 
curious nest when finished, if she adds at this rate to her 
miscellaneous collection. 

After church we walked to the Government House. 
Sir William Gregory is, unfortunately for us, away in 
Australia, and will not return till just after our departure. 
The entrance to it was gay with gorgeous scarlet lilies, 
brought over by some former Governor from South 
America. It is a very fine house, but unfinished. We 
wandered through the 'banquet halls deserted,' and then 
sat a little while in the broad cool airy verandah looking 
into the beautiful garden and on to the mountain beyond. 

At half-past eleven it was time to leave this delight- 
fully cool retired spot, and to drive to a very pleasant 
luncheon, served on a polished round walnut-wood table, 
without any tablecloth, a novel and pretty plan in so hot a 
climate. As soon as it became sufficiently cool we went 
on round the upper lake and to the hills above, whence we 



COURT OF JUSTICE. 433 

looked down upon Kandy, one of the most charmingly- 
placed cities in the world. As we came back we stopped 
for a few minutes at the Court, a very fair specimen 
of florid Hindoo architecture, where the judges sit, and 
justice of all kinds is administered, and where the Prince 
of Wales held the installation of the Order of St. Michael 
and St. George during his visit. We also looked in at 
some of the bazaars, to examine the brass chatties and 
straw-work. Then came another delicious rest in the 
verandah among the flowers until it was time for dinner. 
Such flowers as they are ! The Cape jessamines are in full 
beauty just now, and our host breaks off for us great 
branches laden with the fragrant bloom. 

Monday, April 2nd. — Before breakfast I took a stroll 
all round the place, with our host, to look at his numerous 
pets, which include spotted deer, monkeys, and all sorts of 
other creatures. We also went to the stables, and saw first 
the horses, and the horsekeepers with their pretty Indian 
wives and children. Then we wandered down to the 
bamboo-fringed shores of the river, which rises in the 
mountains here, and flows right through the island to 
Trincomalee. 

At eleven o'clock Tom and I said ' good-bye ' to the 
rest of the party, and went by train to Gampola, to take 
the coach to Neuera-ellia, where we were to stay with an 
old friend. We went only a dozen miles in the train, and 
then were turned out into what is called a coach, but is 
really a very small rough wagonnette, capable of holding 
six people with tolerable comfort, but into which seven, 
eight, and even nine were crammed. By the time the 
vehicle was fully laden, we found there was positively no 
room for even the one box into which Tom's things and 
my own had all been packed ; so we had to take out indis- 
pensable necessaries, and tie them up in a bundle like true 
sailors out for a holiday, leaving our box behind, in charge 
of the station-master, until our return. The first part of 



434 JIBBING HORSES. 



the drive was not very interesting, the road passing only- 
through paddy-fields and endless tea and coffee planta- 
tions. We reached Pusillawa about two o'clock, where we 
found a rough and ready sort of breakfast awaiting us. 
Thence we had a steep climb through some of the finest 
coffee estates in Ceylon, belonging to the Rothschilds, until 
we reached Rangbodde. Here there was another delay of 
half an hour ; but although we were anxious to get on, to 
arrive in time for dinner, it was impossible to regret stop- 
ping amidst this lovely scenery. The house which serves 
as a resting-place is a wretched affair, but the view from 
the verandah in front is superb. A large river falls head- 
long over the steep wall of rock, forming three splendid 
waterfalls, which, uniting and rushing under a fine one- 
arched bridge, complete this scene of beauty and grandeur. 

We were due at Neuera-ellia at six, but we had only 
one pair of horses to drag our heavy load up the steep 
mountain road, and the poor creatures jibbed, kicked over 
the traces, broke them three times, and more than once 
were so near going over the edge of the precipice that I 
jumped out, and the other passengers, all gentlemen, 
walked the whole of that stage. The next was no better, 
the fresh pair of horses jibbing and kicking worse than ever. 
At last one kicked himself free of all the harness, and fell 
on his back in a deep ditch. If it had not been so tire- 
some, it really would have been very laughable, especially 
as everybody was more or less afraid of the poor horse's 
heels, and did not in the least know how to extricate him. 

In this dilemma our hunting experiences came in use- 
fully, for with the aid of a trace, instead of a stirrup 
leather, passed round his neck, half-a-dozen men managed 
to haul the horse on to his legs again; but the pitchy 
darkness rendered the repair of damages an exceedingly 
difficult task. The horses, moreover, even when once 
more in their proper position, declined to move, but the 
gentlemen pushed and the drivers flogged and shouted, 



THE JINKHANA. 435 



and very slowly and with many stops we ultimately 
reached the end of that stage. Here we found a young 
horse, who had no idea at all of harness ; so after a vain 
attempt to utilise his services, another was sent for, thus 
causing further delay. 

It was now nine o'clock, and we were all utterly ex- 
hausted. We managed to procure from a cottage some 
new-laid eggs and cold spring water, and these eaten raw, 
with a little brandy from a hunting-flask, seemed to refresh 
us all. There was again a difficulty in starting, but, once 
fairly under way, the road was not so steep and the horses 
went better. I was now so tired, and had grown so accus- 
tomed to hairbreadth escapes, that, however near we went 
to the edge of the precipice, I did not feel capable of 
jumping out, but sat still and watched listlessly, wondering 
whether we should really go over or not. After many 
delays we reached Head-quarter House, where the warmth 
of the welcome our old friend gave us soon made us 
forget how tired we were. They had waited dinner until 
half-past seven, and had then given us up. There were 
blazing wood fires both in the drawing-room and in our 
bedroom, and in five minutes a most welcome dinner was 
put before us. Afterwards we could have stayed and 
chatted till midnight, but we were promptly sent off to bed, 
and desired to reserve the rest of our news until morning. 

Tuesday, April ^rd. — A ten o'clock breakfast afforded 
us ample opportunity for a delicious rest and letter- 
writing beforehand. Afterwards we strolled round the 
garden, full of English flowers, roses, carnations, mignonette, 
and sweet peas. Tom and the gentlemen went for a walk, 
whilst we ladies rested and chatted and wrote letters. 

After lunch we all started — a large party — to go to the 
athletic sports on the racecourse, where an impromptu sort 
of grand stand had been erected — literally a stand, for there 
were no seats. There were a great many people, and the 
regimental band played very well. To us it appeared a 



43 b LAND-LEECHES. 



warm damp day, although the weather was much cooler 
than any we have felt lately. This is the week of the year, 
and everybody is here from all parts of the island. People 
who have been long resident in the tropics seem to find it 
very cold ; for the men wore great-coats and ulsters, and 
many of the ladies velvet and sables, or sealskin jackets. 
On the way back from the sports we drove round to see 
something of the settlement ; it cannot be called a town, 
for though there are a good many people and houses, no 
two are within half a mile of one another. There are two 
packs of hounds kept here, one to hunt the big elk, the 
other a pack of harriers. The land-leeches, which abound 
in this neighbourhood, are a great plague to horses, men, 
and hounds. It rained last night, and I was specially 
cautioned not to go on the grass or to pick flowers, as these 
horrid creatures fix on one's ankle or arm without the 
slightest warning. I have only seen one, I am thankful to 
say, and have escaped a bite ; but everybody seems to 
dread and dislike them. 

After dinner we went to a very pleasant ball, given 
by the Jinkhana Club, at the barracks. The room was 
prettily decorated with the racing jackets and caps of the 
riders in the races, and with scarlet wreaths of geranium 
and hibiscus mingled with lycopodium ferns and selagi- 
nella. We did not remain very late at the ball, as we had 
to make an early start next morning ; but the drive home 
in the moonlight was almost as pleasant as any part of the 
entertainment. 

Wednesday \ April 4th. — We were called at four o'clock, 
and breakfasted at five, everybody appearing either in 
dressing-gowns or in habits to see us set off. They all 
tried to persuade us to stay for the meet of the hounds at 
the house to-day. Another ball to-night, and more races, 
and another ball to-morrow ; but we are homeward bound, 
and must hurry on. It was a lovely morning, and we 
waited with great patience at the post-house for at least an 



DATURAS AND RHODODENDRON TREES. 437 

hour and a half, and watched the hounds come out, meet, 
find, and hunt a hare up and down, and across the valley, 
with merry ringing notes that made us long to be on 
horseback. 

We saw all the racehorses returning from their morn- 
ing gallop, and were enlightened by the syces as to their 
names and respective owners. There were several people, 
a great deal of luggage, and, though last not least, Her 
Majesty's mails, all waiting, like us, for the coach. About 
a quarter to seven a message arrived, to the effect that 
the horses would not come up the hill, they had been 
jibbing for more than an hour, so would we kindly go 
down to the coach. A swarm of coolies immediately 
appeared from some mysterious hiding-place, and con- 
veyed us all, bag and baggage, down the hill, and packed 
us into the coach. Even this concession on our part did 
not induce the horses to make up their minds to move for 
at least another quarter of an hour. Then we had to stop 
at the hotel to pick up somebody else ; but at last we had 
fairly started, eleven people in all, some inside and some 
perched on a box behind. The horses were worse than 
ever, tired to death, poor things ; and as one lady pas- 
senger was very nervous and insisted on walking up all the 
acclivities, we were obliged to make up our pace down the 
hills. The Pass looked lovely by daylight, and the wild 
flowers were splendid, especially the white datura and 
scarlet rhododendron trees, which were literally covered 
with bloom. 

By daylight, the appearance of the horses was really 
pitiable in the extreme — worn-out, half-starved wretches, 
covered with wounds and sores from collars and harness 
and with traces of injuries they inflict on themselves in 
their struggles to get free. When once we had seen their 
shoulders, we no longer wondered at their reluctance to 
start ; it really made one quite sick to think even of the 
state they were in. 



438 NARROW ESCAPES. 

If some of the permanent officials were to devote a 
portion of their time to endeavours to introduce American 
coaches, and to ameliorate the condition of the horses on 
this road, they would indeed confer a boon on their coun- 
trymen. The coachman, who was as black as jet, and who 
wore very little clothing, was a curious specimen of his 
class, and appeared by no means skilled in his craft. He 
drove the whole way down the steep zigzag road with a loose 
rein ; at every turn the horses went close to the precipice, 
but were turned in the very nick of time by a little black 
boy who jumped down from behind and pulled them 
round by their traces without touching the bridle. We 
stopped at Rangbodde to breakfast, and again at Pusillawa. 
This seemed a bad arrangement, for we were already late ; 
it resulted in the poor horses having to be unmercifully 
flogged in order to enable us to catch the train at Gampola, 
failing which, the coach proprietors would have had to pay 
a very heavy penalty. 

From Gampola we soon arrived at Peradeniya, where 
we met Mr. Freer, who was going down to Colombo. 
Tom had decided previously to go straight on, so as to 
have the yacht quite ready for an early start to-morrow. 
I in the meantime went to our former hosts for one night 
to pick up Mabelle and the waifs and strays of luggage. 

On my way from the station to the house, going over 
the Satinwood Bridge, from which there is a lovely view 
of the Peacock Mountain, I saw an Englishman whom 
we had observed before, washing stones in the bed of 
the river for gems. He has obtained some rubies and 
sapphires, though only of small size, and I suppose he 
will go on washing for ever, hoping to find something 
larger and more valuable. On one part of the coast of the 
island near Managgan the sands on the side of one of the 
rivers are formed of rubies, sapphires, garnets, and other 
precious stones washed down by the current, but they are 
all ground to pieces in the process, not one being left as big 



GEM-HUNTING. 



439 



as a pin's head. The effect in the sunlight, when this sand 
is wet with the waves, is something dazzling, and proves 
that the accounts of my favourite Sindbad are not so 
fabulous as we prosaic mortals try to make out. The 
island must be rich in gems, for they seem to be picked 
up with hardly any trouble. At Neuera-ellia it is a 




Peacock Mountain, Ceylon 



favourite amusement for picnic parties to go out gem- 
hunting, and frequently they meet with very large and 
valuable stones by the riverside or near deserted pits, 
large garnets, cinnamon-stone, splendid cat's-eyes, ame- 
thysts, matura diamonds, moonstone, aquamarine, tour- 
maline rubies, and sapphires. 



44o ADAM'S PEAK. 



On my arrival at the house I found that Mabelle had 
just returned with some friends, who had kindly taken 
charge of her during our absence, and that a very old 
friend had arrived almost directly we left on Monday, and 
had departed early this morning to climb Adam's Peak, 
the ascent of which is a long and tedious affair, but it 
cannot be difficult, as thousands of aged and infirm 
pilgrims go every year to worship at the Buddhist or 
Mohammedan temples at the summit. The giant foot- 
print has been reverenced alike by both religions from the 
earliest ages. Its existence is differently accounted for, 
however, by the two sects. The Buddhists say it is the 
footprint of Buddha, and that an account of its origin was 
written 300 or 400 years b. c. The Mohammedans say 
that it is the first step Adam took when driven out of 
Paradise. They do not quarrel about it, however, but live 
very happily close beside one another in their respective 
temples on the very small summit of the mountain. The 
iron chains, still used by the pilgrims and visitors to assist 
them up the last weary flight of steps, are said to have 
been placed there in the time of Alexander the Great, and 
are mentioned by successive historians. 

After lunch I went to rest, thoroughly tired out with the 
hard work of the last two days, whilst the gentlemen went 
into Kandy, to see Buddha's tooth and a Brahmin temple. 

Just before sunset we went to have a last look at those 
lovely Botanical Gardens. They were more beautiful than 
ever in the afternoon light, and I saw many things which 
had escaped my notice before. I have made acquaintance 
with the taste of all sorts of new fruits while here, more 
than in our former journey ; but this is to be explained by 
the proximity of the Botanical Gardens. I expected to 
revel in fruit all through the tropics, but, except at Tahiti, 
we have not done so at all. There is one great merit in 
tropical fruit, which is, that however hot the sun may be, 
when plucked from the tree it is always icy cold ; if left for 



RAT-SNAKES. 441 



a few minutes, however, it becomes as hot as the surround- 
ing atmosphere, and the charm is gone. 

On my return, when I went to dress for dinner, I found 
on my table a nasty-looking black beast about six inches 
long. It looked very formidable in the half-light, like a 
scorpion or centipede. It turned out, however, to be quite 
harmless, and a sort of millipede, and rather handsome, 
with jet-black rings, and hundreds of orange-coloured legs. 
There are a great many venomous snakes in Ceylon, but 
they always get out of the way as fast as they can, and 
never bite Europeans. All the roofs of the thatched 
bungalows swarm with rats, and in every house is kept a 
rat-snake, which kills and eats these rats. I more than 
once heard a great scuffle going on over my bedroom, 
which generally ended in a little squeak, indicating that 
the snake had killed, and was about to eat, his prey. One 
of the snakes came out one day in front of my window, 
and hung down two or three feet from the roof. If I had 
not been previously assured that he was perfectly harmless, 
it would have been rather an alarming apparition in the 
dark, and, even as it was, I must confess that for a moment 
I did feel rather frightened as I watched him spying about, 
darting his forked tongue in and out, and looking quite 
ready for a spring at my face. 

Thursday, April $tk. — Another early start by the seven 
o'clock train to Colombo. We were very sorry to say 
good-bye to our kind host, and when we took our departure, 
we were quite laden with flowers, good wishes, and messages 
for mutual friends in England. It was rather a hot journey 
down, and the train seemed full, but the scenery was lovely. 
As we approached Colombo the heat became greater, and 
in the town itself it was almost insupportable. 

We breakfasted at the hotel in the fort, where we were 
joined by Tom. There is one very curious thing about 
the hotels here. The sitting-rooms are all two stories 
high, with pointed raftered roofs. The bedrooms are only 



442 IMPERTINENT CROWS. 

* 
screened off from each other, and from the central room, 
by partitions eight or ten feet high, so that you can hear 
everything going on from end to end of the building. I 
am not at all sure that the larger amount of ventilation 
secured by this plan compensates for the extra amount of 
noise and want of privacy, especially when, as was the case 
to-day, there is a crying baby who refuses to be pacified 
in one of the rooms, a poor little girl ill with whoop- 
ing cough in another, and some very noisy people, who 
are making themselves both unhappy and cross over some 
lost keys, in a third. 

While we were at breakfast the crows were most 
amusing and impertinent. Every door and window was 
open, and they were perched on the top of the punkah, or 
on the iron crossbars supporting the roof, watching their 
opportunity to pounce down and carry off the bits left on 
our plates. They did not seem to mind the waiters a bit, 
and, with their heads cocked on one side, looked as droll 
and saucy as possible. People tell you all sorts of funny 
stories about them ; but though they are very entertaining 
to watch, and apparently perfectly tame, it appears to be 
impossible to capture one alive. 

By the time breakfast was over, we found that the 
' Sunbeam ' was already under way, and steaming about 
the anchorage ; so it was not long before we were once 
more on board. Going out of harbour we passed a large 
steamer whose passengers and crew cheered us and waved 
their handkerchiefs until we were out of sight, and with 
that pleasant homely sound ringing in our ears we bade a 
last farewell to Colombo, and started on another stage of 
our homeward voyage. The heat was intense, and there 
was a roll outside which at once made me feel very uncom- 
fortable. There was no wind all the afternoon, and the sun 
sank into the sea, glorious and golden, as we took our 
last look at the lovely island of Ceylon, the land of spice 
and fragrance and beauty. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

TO ADEN. 

Heaven speed the canvas, gallantly unfurled 
To furnish and accommodate a world, 
To give the Pole the produce of the sun, 
And knit the unsocial climates into one. 

Friday, April 6th. — Our visit to Ceylon has been so 
delightful that I wish it could have been prolonged for a 
month, instead of lasting only a week ; but in that case I 
should have preferred to select a cooler season of the year, 
when travelling is more practicable. A most interesting 
journey could be made through the centre of the island to 
see the ancient cities, temples, and tanks, over the road from 
Matelle to Nalandi Senadoora, to the curious rock temple 
at Dambool, near which is the fortified rock of Sigiri, and a 
few miles further are the vast ruins of Topari, or Ponamira, 
the mediseval capital of Ceylon. It is full of wonderful 
ruins, some of them among the oldest in the world. The 
Ranhol Dagoba, the Jayti Wana Rama, and the Galle 
Wihara and rock temple, carved out of the living rock, are 
alone worth a long journey to see. Then think of visiting 
Anajapoora, the city of rubies, the sacred capital of the 
kingdom of ruins, on whose splendours even the Chinese 
travellers of the early ages used to expatiate with fervour. 
From this point it would be easy to reach the peninsula 
of Jaffna, which has been peopled with Tammils for more 
than two thousand years. It is the country par excellence 
of gardens exquisitely kept, and skillfully irrigated on the 



444 OLD DUTCH STUD-FARM. 

old Moorish system. Here are grown all the ingredients 
for the making of curry, which are sent to all parts of 
this island and to Southern India. The most important 
crop of all, however, is tobacco, whose excellence is famed 
throughout India, and of which the Rajah of Travancore 
holds the monopoly. 

Then one might go southward from Jaffna, past Aripo, 
and the Gulf of Calpentyn, until the curious reef of Adam's 
Bridge was reached, which almost connects Ceylon with 
India. People say it has been separated by some con- 
vulsion of nature in former days, and that the passage is 
gradually deepening ; but recent examinations have shown 
that instead of being a remnant of the original rock by 
which Ceylon is supposed to have been once connected 
with the Indian continent, it is in reality a comparatively 
recent ridge of conglomerate and ironstone, covered with 
alluvial deposits carried by the current and heaped up at 
this particular point ; whilst the gradual rising of the coast 
has contributed to give the reef its present altitude. 

Balchus tells a most improbable story of fifteen Portu- 
guese frigates escaping through the passage of Panupam, 
when pursued by some Dutch cruisers in 1557. Formerly 
the Straits were only thirty-five yards wide, with a maxi- 
mum depth of six feet of water, but lately they have been 
widened and deepened by ten feet, and a little Government 
steamer frequently passes through on a tour round the 
island. At present a sailing ship going from Bombay 
to Madras has to make a curve of five thousand miles in 
order to weather the Maldives and Ceylon. It seems a 
long course for any vessel drawing over ten feet of water 
to be obliged to take. 

In the centre of the channel there is a little island where 
a Dutch establishment for horse-breeding formerly stood, the 
original stud having been imported from Arabia. The horses 
were all turned into corrals and caught by means of lassos, 
and then conquered by domidores, exactly as they are at the 



PEARL FISHING. 445 

present day in South America. Now the stud is dispersed, 
the buildings are in ruins, and all that remains is the Indian 
pagoda, where religious ceremonies, curious processions, and 
dances of nautch-girls occasionally take place and are 
attended by great crowds. To the southward again of 
Adam's Bridge is the celebrated Gulf of Manaar, from 
which the best pearls come. 

This is an exceptionally good year for pearls, and the 
price of the shells went up many rupees per thousand in 
the first week. The pearl fishery can be reached in about 
eight hours by steam from Colombo, and it would have 
been delightful to have visited it, had time permitted. 
We were shown an oyster with some beautiful pearls in it, 
all found in the one shell. When a boat with pearls 
reaches the shore, the shells are divided into equal heaps, 
one-fourth going to the boat's crew, and three-fourths to 
the Government Inspector. They keep whichever heap he 
chooses to kick ; so that, being uncertain which they will 
get for themselves, the boat's crew are sure to make a fair 
division. These heaps are then divided and sold by auction 
in thousands, and then subdivided again and again. Of 
course it is always a matter of speculation as to whether 
you get good pearls, bad pearls, or no pearls at all, though 
this last misfortune seldom happens. 

The love of gambling is inherent in every Oriental mind, 
and the merest beggar with but a few pice in his wallet to 
buy his daily food will invest them in a small number of 
oyster-shells, hoping to find a pearl of great value ; and, 
should he fail to do so, he contents himself with eating the 
oyster and hoping for better luck next time. The shells 
are generally left on the sand in carefully guarded heaps 
till they die and open, when the pearls are extracted, and 
the fish left to decay. Some of the oysters are taken in 
sealed-up sacks to Colombo, Kandy, and other inland 
places, in order to enable people to indulge their love of 
gambling and speculation, without the trouble of a journey 



446 LACCADIVES AND MALDIVES. 

to Manaar. Though called oysters, they are not the proper 
oyster, but a sort of avicula {Meleagrina margaritifera 
being the name given by Samarik), very different from the 
large mother-of-pearl shells in which the South Sea pearls 
are found. 

I have not been able to keep my mind from running 
incessantly on Sir Emerson Tennent's delightful book on 
Ceylon, which describes places we have not ourselves 
visited, but which I wanted very much to see, and I have 
been so interested reading about them that I cannot help 
thinking other people will share my feelings. It seems 
wonderful that so much which is strange, beautiful, and 
interesting should be so easy of access from England, and 
yet that so few English travellers know comparatively any- 
thing of Ceylon, except Galle and Colombo, and perhaps 
Kandy and Trincomalee. 

Saturday, April Jtli. — To-day we passed close to the 
island of Minnikoy, between the groups of islands called 
the Laccadives and Maldives, some of which we saw dotting 
the horizon ; and still further to the south stretches the 
Chagos Archipelago. It was very hot all day, with hardly 
a breath of air, and we have all returned to our former 
light and airy costumes : the gentlemen to their shirts and 
trousers, the children to their pinafores and nothing else, 
and I to my beloved Tahitian dresses. 

Before we left England we could not make ourselves 
believe what we were told about heat in the tropics ; so we 
started with very few windsails and without any punkahs 
or double awnings. It was all very well in the Atlantic or 
Pacific, but between Hongkong and Singapore the state of 
things became simply unbearable. The carpenter has rigged 
up a punkah, and the men have improvised some double 
awnings. At Colombo they made some windsails, so we 
are now better off than on our last hot voyage. It has 
been really hotter than ever to-day, but a pleasant breeze 
sprang up in the afternoon. 



COSMOPOLITAN SERVANTS. 



Sunday, April 8t/i. — A delightful fresh morning after a 
cool night. Everybody looks quite different, and we begin 
to hope we shall carry the north-east monsoon right across, 
which would be an exceptional piece of good fortune. We 
had service in the saloon at eleven o'clock and at four, and 
though there was an unusually full attendance it was cool 
and pleasant even without the punkah. The thermometer 
registers nearly the same as it did on Friday, when we were 
all dead with the heat. The apparently nice cool breeze 
that refreshes our heated bodies does not produce any 
corresponding effect on the glassy surface of the ocean ; 
for we find to-day, as on previous occasions, that the 
temperature, both of the water and of the air, registered 
by the thermometer, does not by any means correspond 
with the effect on the human frame. 

The two Chinese servants we shipped at Hongkong 
are a great success, as every one on board agrees. Even 
the old sailing master is obliged to confess that the two 
' heathen Chinee ' keep the mess rooms, ships' officers' and 
servants' berths much cleaner and more comfortable than 
his own sailors ever succeeded in doing. At Galle we 
shipped three black firemen, two from Bombay and one 
from Mozambique, a regular nigger, with his black woolly 
hair clipped into the shape of Prince of Wales feathers. 
Their names are Mahomet, Abraham, and Tom Dollar. 
They live in a little tent we have had pitched for them 
on deck, cook their own food, and do their work in the 
engine-room exceedingly well. In the intervals they are 
highly amused with the children's picture books. The 
picture of the durbar at Delhi delighted them, especially as 
they recognised the figures, and learned a little English 
through them. They can say a few words already, and 
have told me all about their wives and children at Mozam- 
bique and Bombay, and have shown me the presents they 
are taking home to them. They have been nearly a year 
on board the Peninsula steamship ' Poonah,' and appear to 



448 HOW WE MISSED THE ICE. 

have saved nearly all their earnings. I do not suppose 
our own men could have stood the fearful heat below in the 
engine-room for many days together, so it was fortunate 
we met with these amiable salamanders. 

Monday, April gl/i. — No wind. We passed through a 
large shoal of porpoises, and at dusk we saw the light 
of a distant ship. At all the places' we have recently 
visited we have found excellent ice-making machines, 
and have been able to get a sufficient supply to last us 
from port to port, which has been a great comfort. The 
machine at Colombo unfortunately broke down the day 
before we left, so that in the very hottest part of our 
voyage we have had to do without our accustomed luxury ; 
and very much we miss it, not only for cooling our drinks, 
but for keeping provisions, &c. As it is, a sheep killed 
overnight is not good for dinner next day ; butter is just 
like oil, and to-day in opening a drawer my fingers touched 
a sticky mess ; I looked and discovered six sticks of seal- 
ing wax running slowly about in a state resembling treacle. 

Wednesday, April nth. — Hotter than ever. We could 
see a steamer in the far distance. About sunset we passed 
through a shoal of flying-fish ; the night was intensely hot, 
and everybody slept on deck. 

Friday, April 13th. — At 6 a.m. we made the island of 
Sokotra, and about seven o'clock saw 'The Brothers,' 
two islands where large quantities of turtle and ambergris 
are found. Though generally uninhabited, they are some- 
times visited by the natives for the purpose of collecting 
articles of commerce. 

One of our large pigs took it into his head to jump 
overboard to-day. The helm was put round as quickly 
as possible, but the most anxious spying could not discover 
any trace of poor piggy's whereabouts ; so we proceeded on 
our original course for a few minutes, when suddenly, to our 
great astonishment, we saw him alongside, having been nearly 
run down, but still gallantly swimming along. The dingy 



A FURIOUS PIG. 449 



was lowered and two men sent in pursuit. They had, however, 
no easy task before them, for as soon as they approached, 
piggy swam away faster than they could row, and bit and 
fought most furiously when they tried to get him into 
the boat. It was a good half-hour's work before he was 
secured, yet when he arrived he did not appear to be in the 
least exhausted by his long swim, but bit and barked at 
everybody so furiously that he was condemned to death, 
to prevent the possibility of further accidents. It is quite 
clear from the foregoing incident that some pigs can swim, 
and swim very well too, without cutting their own throats 
in the process. 

All the afternoon a large steamer had been gradually 
gaining on us. We exchanged signals and made out that 
she was the ' Calypso ' (?) of Glasgow. About half-past five 
she altered her course and came alongside to speak us. The 
fore-deck was crowded with the crew. On the bridge were 
many of the officers ; and sitting bolt upright on a stool, 
' looking out forward ' in the most amusing manner, was 
the captain's little Skye terrier. The stern was crowded 
with passengers, of every shade of colour. To our sur- 
prise a voice from among them shouted out ' Three cheers 
for Mr. Brassey ! ' which was responded to by ringing shouts 
from all on board, and taken up again by some of our 
own men. It was a very pleasant and unexpected greet- 
ing to hear in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The 
ship soon drew ahead again, but handkerchiefs and caps 
were waved till their owners faded away into the distance. 
Meeting and passing thousands of people as you at home 
do daily, you can hardly understand the excitement a 
little incident like this causes on board ship, where even a 
distant sail in these lonely oceans makes everybody leave 
his occupation and crowd to look at her. Soon after 
sunset we saw the island of Abd-al-Kuri, with its fantastic 
peaks, melting into orange, gold, and purple tints, beneath 
the gorgeous Arabian afterglow. 



450 THE ROCK OF ADEN. 

Saturday, April \^th. — We made Cape Rasalhir, for- 
merly called Guardafui, about nine o'clock yesterday- 
evening, and passing it during the night entered the Gulf 
of Aden. 1 All to-day we have been going along the 
Soumali coast. There is a good deal of trade carried on in 
native boats. Passing all these strange and comparatively 
unknown and little-visited islands and coasts, from which 
all sorts of things in daily use at home are brought, one 
dimly realises what commerce means and how necessary 
one part of the world is to the other. 

Sunday y April i$tk. — Still intensely hot. The usual 
services were held on deck at eleven and four o'clock. The 
land, both in Arabia and in Africa, could be seen the 
whole day, with precipitous mountains. In the afternoon 
we could make out the rock of Aden, and at sunset it 
stood grandly forth, looming in purple darkness against 
the crimson and blood-red sky, which gradually faded to 
tenderest tints of yellow and green, before it finally blazed 
forth into a radiant afterglow. At half-past eight a gun 
from the fort at Aden summoned us to show our colours, 
or rather lights. At nine o'clock we dropped our anchor 
in the roads ; a boat came off with a bag of newspapers 
and to ask for orders in the morning. It was sent by the 
great Parsee merchants here, who undertake to supply us 
with coals, provisions, water, and everything we want, and 
spare us all trouble. For the last three or four days we 
have had a nice little breeze astern, and if we had not 
been in a hurry to cross the Indian Ocean before the south- 
west monsoon set in, we should certainly have been con- 
tented with four or five knots an hour under sail instead of 
eight and a half under steam. We have averaged over 200 
miles a day under steam alone, ever since we left Penang, 
and have burnt only four tons of coal for every fifty miles. 

1 We found considerable difficulty in making the light, and since 
our return there have been several wrecks, and many lives lost, on this 

dangerous point. 



A PARSEE MERCHANT. 



45 » 



Monday, April \6th. — At 1.30 a.m. I heard the signal 
gun fired, and shortly afterwards a great splash of boats 
and oars, and a vast chattering and shouting of tongues, 
announced the arrival of a P. and O. steamer. She 
dropped her anchor just outside us, 
so we had the benefit of the noise 
all night. I got up at daylight 
and found the pilot just coming 
off. He took us to a buoy, a little 
closer in, and soon the business of 
coaling and watering commenced. 

We reached the shore about 7.30, 
and, landing at the pier, had our 
first near view of the natives, who 
are most curious-looking creatures. 
They have very black complexions, 
and long woolly hair, setting out 
like a mop all round, and gene- 
rally dyed bright red, or yellow by 
the application of lime. Mr. Cow- 
ajee had sent his own private 
carriage to meet us. It was a 
comfortable open barouche, with a 
pair of nice horses, and two ser- 
vants in Eastern liveries, green 
vests and full trousers, and red and orange turbans. We 
went first to his store, which seemed to be an emporium for 
every conceivable article. There was carved sandal-wood, 
and embroidered shawls from China, Surat, and Gujerat, 
work from India, English medicines, French lamps, Swiss 
clocks, German toys, Russian caviare, Greek lace, Havannah 
cigars, American hides and canned fruits, besides many other 
things. The feathers did not look very tempting ; there was 
a great deal of feather and very little stem about most of 
them, and only a few were white, the majority being a 
pretty sort of brown and drab. But this general store is 




452 THE TANKS. 



only a very small part of their business, for about 60,000 
tons of coal pass through their hands every year. 

We went on to the Hotel de l'Europe, which was by 
no means in first-rate order, but allowances must be made 
for a new house. A delightful breeze was blowing in through 
the open windows, and although the thermometer registered 
8 5° in the dining-room, it did not seem at all hot. The view 
over the bay is very pretty, and the scene on shore thoroughly 
Arabian, with the donkeys and camels patiently carrying 
their heavy loads, guided by the true Bedaween of the desert, 
and people of all tinges of complexion, from jet black 
to pale copper colour. A pair of tame ostriches, at least 
seven feet high, were strolling about the roadway, and a 
gazelle, some monkeys, parrots, and birds lived happily 
together beneath a broad verandah. After a little while we 
went for a drive to see the camp and town of Aden, which 
is four or five miles from the Point where everybody lands. 
On the way we met trains of heavily laden camels bringing 
in wood, water, grain, and fodder, for garrison consumption, 
and coffee and spices for exportation. After driving for about 
four miles we reached a gallery pierced through the rock, 
which admits you into the precincts of the fort. The entrance 
is very narrow, the sides precipitous, and the place appa- 
rently impregnable. We went all through the town, or rather 
towns, past the Arab village, the Sepoy barracks, and the 
European barracks, to the water tanks, stupendous works 
carved out of the solid rock, but until lately comparatively 
neglected, the residents depending entirely on distillation for 
their supply of water. There is a pretty little garden at 
the foot of the lowest tank, but the heat was intense in the 
bottom of the deep valley amongst the rocks, where every 
sun-ray seemed to be collected and reflected from the white 
glaring limestone, and every breath of air to be excluded. 
We saw a little more of the town and the market crowded 
with camels, the shops full of lion, leopard, and hyaena 
skins. We went to the officers' mess-house, visited the 



BEAUTIFUL EFFECTS. 453 

Protestant and Roman Catholic churches and the Mo- 
hammedan mosque, and then passing through two long 
tunnels, bored and blasted in the solid rock, we looked over 
the fortifications. Finally, we returned to the Point again 
by way of the Isthmus, and went to Government House, 
which gets a fresh breeze from every quarter. They say 
that to-day is hotter than usual, but it is never really 
very oppressive here unless there is an exceptionally hot 
wind blowing from the' desert, but even that is partially 
cooled before it arrives. To us it appears delightful after 
our sultry voyage and the heat at Penang and Singa- 
pore. 

We are all agreeably disappointed with Aden, and find 
that it is by no means the oven we expected ; it is prettier 
too than I thought, the mountains and rocks are so peaked 
and pointed, and although the general effect is one of 
barrenness, still, if you look closely, every crack and 
crevice is full of something green. The soil, being of vol- 
canic origin, is readily fertilised by moisture, and at once 
produces some kind of vegetation. This adds of course 
greatly to the effect of colour, which in the rocks themselves 
is extremely beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset. 
The sea, too, is delightfully blue on one side of the penin- 
sula, and pale green on the other, according to the wind, 
and the white surf curls and breaks on the sandy shore 
beyond the crisp waves. 

We went back to the hotel a little before one, and 
found many friends had called during our absence. After 
superintending the children's dinner, I went with Tom to 
luncheon at Government House. It was very pleasant ; 
General and Mrs. Schneider were more than kind, and the 
house felt deliciously cool and airy. 

We are told that thirty miles inland the country is 
sometimes very beautiful. There are exquisitely green 
valleys, with a stream running through them, amongst 
peaks and rocky mountains, which one rarely sees in the 



454 OSTRICH FEATHERS. 

desert. Here the natives cultivate their crops of corn — 
such corn as it is too, reaching six feet above a man's head \ 
All sorts of useful vegetables grow abundantly, besides roses, 
fruits, and fragrant flowers, large supplies of which are 
brought daily into Aden. About ten miles from the town 
there are acres of the most fertile garden ground, which is 
cultivated to supply the garrison with vegetables. Some- 
times a party of seventy or eighty men, and ten or twenty 
Arab guides, goes out for three weeks or a month at a time 
surveying. The natives are much more friendly than they 
used to be a few years ago, when people were afraid even 
to ride outside the town. Now pleasant excursions lasting 
a few days may be made, especially as there is very fair 
shooting to be got. After luncheon I was shown some 
lovely feathers. The contrast between these and the 
steamer-feathers is ludicrous ; the price, too, is proportion- 
ately cheaper, for the feathers are infinitely better. Long, 
white, full, and curly feathers can be bought for much less 
than you give for them in England. We drove down to 
the town, finished our business transactions, and then went 
in the ' Vestal's ' steam launch on board the ' Gamma,' one 
of the new Chinese gunboats on her way out to Ghina. 

After afternoon tea we all adjourned to the ' Sunbeam,' 
where we found many other friends already arrived or 
arriving. We had only just time to look round before the 
sun set, and the short twilight was succeeded by the swift 
tropical darkness. All too soon good-bye had to be said ; 
the anchor was raised, and we were actually drifting slowly 
along under our head canvas before our friends took their 
departure. It was a lovely evening, with a light fair 
breeze, and although there appeared hardly any wind, it 
was wonderful how swiftly we crept out of the harbour, 
and, as sail after sail was spread, how rapidly we glided 
past the land. 

Our visit to Aden has been short but very agreeable j 
it is not by any means such a dreadful place as we had 



A WORD FOR ADEN. 455 

always fancied. Most of the people we have seen to-day 
seem rather to like it ; there is good boating, excellent sea 
fishing, moderate shooting, and many rides and excursions. 
A vehicle of some sort is an absolute necessity, however, 
if you want to see anything of your friends, for the three 
divisions of the settlement are at least four miles apart, 
and the heat is far too great for driving or riding in the 
middle of the day, except on business. I cannot say, 
however, that we ourselves found it intolerably hot to-day. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

TO SUEZ. 

Round the decay 
Of that colossal wreck ; boundless and bare 
The lone and level sands stretch far away. 

Tuesday, April ijth. — The breeze still continued and 
freshened, and we sailed along pleasantly before it, finding 
it a great relief to be rid of the thud and beat of the 
engine. There is no vibration, but the noise is unpleasant. 
About eleven o'clock we passed the island of Perim, a most 
desolate-looking place. I do not wonder that officers so 
much dislike being quartered there. It is an important 
position though, and is shortly to be strengthened, when 
water-tanks will be built, and attempts made to cultivate 
the soil. At present there does not appear to be a blade 
of vegetation, and on the side we passed, between the 
island and the coast of Arabia, nothing is to be seen but 
the little white lighthouse and the path leading up to it. 
On the southern side there is a very fair harbour and a 
moderate town. On the shore all round the island turtles 
are caught at the season when fehey land to deposit their 
eggs. To pass the island of Perim we sailed through the 
Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, or ' Gate of Tears,' thus called 
on account of the numerous wrecks which took place there 
in former years. Once through the straits, we were fairly 
in the Red Sea. The colour of the Red Sea is certainly the 
bluest of ultramarines. In the afternoon the town of Mocha 
Yamen, celebrated alike for its breed of Arab horses and its 



JEBEL TEIR. 457 



coffee, was visible from the masthead. It is a large white 
town, full of cupolas and minarets, surrounded with green 
as far as irrigation extends, and looking like a pearl set in 
emeralds on the margin of the deep blue sea against a 
background of red and yellow sand-mountains. Later in 
the afternoon we passed Great and Little Hamish, where 
the P. and O. boat, 'Alma,' was wrecked some fifteen 
years ago, and during the night sailed by Jebel Zibayar 
and Tukar. 




Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb. 

Wednesday, April iStk. — In the morning, at daylight, 
we were off Jebel Teir, Mussawa Island, Annesley Bay 
lying 60 miles to the west. Our position was about 60 
miles to the south-west of Mussawa Zoulia, where the ex- 
pedition under Lord Napier of Magdala landed in 1867. 
At noon we had sailed 221 miles, a most unexpected run 
in the Red Sea. In the afternoon it fell calm, but the wind 
freshened again, and we went on sailing until after mid- 
night. 

Thursday, April igt/t.—We commenced steaming at 
1 a.m., stopped, however, at 5 a.m., and sailed all day. 
Yesterday we were surrounded by some beautiful blue 
birds, who hovered about us and settled at intervals on the 



458 TOM DOLLAR LEFT BEHIND. 

masts and yards. During the night two were caught nap- 
ping by the men, and in the course of to-day two more, 
hotly pursued by a hawk, took refuge on board and were 
also captured. One was given to me. It appears to be 
a very beautiful kind of jay, with feathers of the most bril- 
liant shades of blue. The men have killed their birds for 
the sake of the skins, but I mean to try and keep mine 
alive. At Colombo several birds and two curiously starred 
tortoises were added to our collection ; and we took on 
board at Aden a gazelle, a black cockatoo, and a green 
monkey. 

We passed Souakim to-day, the port of Nubia. It is 
about 275 miles, or 25 days' camel-journey, from thence to 
Berber on the Nile. The road passes through Korib, and 
among fine red granite and black basalt mountains, 4,000 
feet high. We left one of the firemen, Tom Dollar, behind 
at Aden by mistake, and only found out yesterday that we 
had done so. It appears that he has a brother living there, 
whom he was most anxious to go and see directly the 
anchor was let go, in the morning. Unfortunately, he did 
not speak to us on the subject. He had never been in any- 
thing but a regular steamer before, and could not believe it 
possible that the ' Sunbeam ' could spread her wings and be 
off without any preliminary ' fire-worshipping.' I am very 
sorry for the poor man, as he has left all his clothes and 
the wages he had earned on board the P. and O. steamer 
behind him. We must send them back from Suez, and 
telegraph to some one to look out for him. The heat is 
intense, and we all sleep on deck at night ; the sunrises 
and sunsets are magnificent. 

Friday, April 20th. — A little hotter still ; there is no 
wind at all, and we are obliged to steam. In the morning 
we passed to the southward of Jeddo, the port of Mecca. 
Unfortunately it was so hazy that we could not distinguish 
anything whatever of the town or country, only a line of 
mountains rearing their heads above the clouds. We had 



MURIEL'S BIRTHDAY. 459 

hoped to be at Suez early on Sunday, but now I fear we 
shall not arrive until Monday. 

Saturday, April 21st. — Hotter and still hotter every 
day, says the thermometer, and so we say also. Everybody 
told us these would be our two hottest days, and certainly 
the prediction has been verified. We did not see a single 
ship all day, but in the afternoon passed Zambo, the 
port of Medina. A little before midnight we made the 
light on the Daedalus shoal on the starboard bow. 

This being Muriel's fifth birthday, Mabelle and the 
doctor and the men have been arranging a surprise for her 
all day, and none of us were allowed to go on the port side 
of the deck, but after dinner we were taken to a hastily fitted- 
up theatre, very prettily decorated with flags and Japanese 
lanterns. On a throne covered with the Union Jack, Muriel 
was seated, the two pugs being on footstools on either side 
of her to represent lions couchant. Some of the men had 
blackened their faces, and gave us a really very excellent 
Christy Minstrel entertainment, in which undreamed-of 
talent came to light. It is very odd and interesting how 
one is perpetually finding out something new about the 
men. Some of the crew we thought the most unpromising 
when we started, have turned out among our best men, 
always ready and willing for everything, while others, who 
at first appeared the best, have not proved so good. Many 
we knew well beforehand. On the whole, however, we 
have very little cause to complain of our crew ; all pull 
well together when they are kept up to their work and have 
plenty to do. 

Sunday, April 22nd. — Clouds veiled the sunrise this 
morning, which was a welcome relief; still it was too hot 
for service in the saloon, and it was therefore held on deck. 
A light breeze sprang up ahead during its performance, which 
cooled and refreshed us immensely. About twelve o'clock 
we passed another pair of ' Brothers,' a couple of odd-looking 
rocks or islands, like tables, rising straight out of the sea ; 



460 A CHANGE OF CLIMATE. 

there is a beacon on the northernmost one. While we were 
at lunch, the breeze freshened so much that we were all glad 
to add some wraps to our light and airy costumes. A little 
later, a summer gale was blowing ahead, making some of 
us feel very uncomfortable and long for the halcyon days 
of the past, even with the accompaniment of the inevitable 
heat. Such is mankind, and womankind too for that 
matter, ' never blessed but always to be blessed.' The gale 
freshened, the screw was raised, the yacht pitched and rolled, 
and we were obliged to put her off her course and under 
sail before night fell. The spray came over the decks, and 
there was a strong wind dead ahead. We all felt cold and 
miserable, though the thermometer still registered 7 5°. 
The poor monkeys and parrots looked most wretched and 
unhappy, and had to be packed away as speedily as possible. 
Nine monkeys in an empty wine case seemed very happy 
and cuddled together for warmth, but the two larger and 
more aristocratic members of the party required a box 
to themselves. The gazelle had a little tent pitched for 
him specially in a sheltered corner, and the birds were all 
stowed away and battened over in the smoking fiddle. 
Dinner was rather a lame pretence, and it was not long 
before we all retired, and certainly no one wished to take 
his or her mattress on deck to-night. It is the first night 
I have slept in a bed on board the yacht for many weeks, 
and a very disturbed night it was, for the waves ran high, 
and we have lately been sailing so steadily over smooth 
seas, that we did not know what to make of this. 

Monday, April 23rd. — The gale blew as hard as ever, 
and quite as dead ahead. About noon we made the island 
of Shaduan, or isle of Seals, so named by the ancients, 
when the sea and gulf abounded with seals. There are 
still a few occasionally to be seen to the northward by the 
fishermen, and their skins are brought to Suez for sale. 
We are making tacks backwards and forwards across the 
narrow sea, an exciting amusement for a yachtsman, as 



WRECK OF THE « CARNATIC 461 

it requires constant attention. The sailing directions say 
that this sea is ill surveyed, except in the direct channel. 
There are many coral reefs and sunken rocks, and on 
whichever side you may happen to be wrecked, the natives 
are ready to rob, ill-treat, and kill you, or sell you as slaves 
in the interior. It was on two projecting coral reefs from 
the island of Shaduan, that the ' Carnatic ' was wrecked in 
1869. She ran ashore at four o'clock in the morning of the 
13th of September, soon after having made the light on Rhas 
Garril. We were at Suez in October of the same year, 
and everybody was then full of the sad particulars of the 
wreck, the soldiers being especially useful in bringing in 
the passengers' luggage, which had been recovered from the 
Arabs. One of our firemen, Abraham, was on board the 
' Carnatic ' at the time of the disaster, and lost all his 
worldly goods (not many, I should think, judging by what 
he has brought on board here). 

The sea was very rough and disagreeable all day. To 
us the temperature appears quite cool, indeed cold, though 
the thermometer still remains at 75 . Our friends at Aden, 
who prophesied that I should want my sealskin jacket 
before leaving the Gulf of Suez, were not so far wrong in 
their prognostications as I imagined at the time. 

Tuesday, April 24th. — We are still beating to wind- 
ward against a head gale, and by noon had made sixty-five 
miles to the good, right in the wind's eye — not a bad per- 
formance, considering that the gale was blowing with a 
force of nine or ten. It has the merit of novelty too, for 
I suppose that for years no sailing ships have been seen in 
the Gulf of Suez. The winds blow so steadily for months 
together, that for six months in the year you cannot get 
into the Red Sea, and for the other six months you cannot 
get out of it. 

We passed the island of Rhas Garril, and soon after- 
wards a steamer went by, altering her course a good deal to 
inspect us. She evidently thought we were a broken-down 



4&3 MOUNT SINAI. 



steamer, and intended to come to our rescue. All yesterday 
and to-day we have been making flannel coats for the 
monkey, and covers for birdcages, and improvising shelters 
and snug corners for our pets. At night especially the wind 
is quite crisp. If this gale continues, it will be Thursday or 
Friday before we reach Suez ; but it may possibly change 
to-night, and it looks now as if it were breaking. 

Wednesday, April 2^th. — At last the gale has broken. 
There was not much wind when I went on deck at 4 a.m., 
and by seven o'clock it was so nearly calm, that the funnel 
could be raised and fires lighted, and we were soon steaming 





. 1 



: ^^:k;vr-®fH 



Boating up the Red Ssa. 



straight for our destination. We could not see Mount Sinai 
on account of the mist, but made out the place where the 
Israelites are said to have crossed the Red Sea, and by four 
o'clock the town of Suez lay right ahead. The shores are 
very barren, not a blade of grass nor a scrap of vegetation 
being visible. Nothing is to be seen save mountain peaks, 
rocks, stones, and sand. But even this barren scene has a 
special beauty of its own, particularly at sunrise and sunset. 
The shapes of mountain and rock are alike striking, the 
sharp shadows are lovely, and the contrast of reds, yellows, 
and browns, with the bright blue sea and crisp white waves, 



COTTON GOODS DETERIORATING. 463 

is very beautiful. Even when the sun has set, and the 
rich tints have faded away, the full moon adds another 
charm to the landscape. 

This afternoon, as we were steaming up towards Suez, 
I had a chat with Mahomet, one of our Indian firemen, who 
was fringing a piece of muslin for a turban. I asked him 
if it was English. ' No, Missy ; no English — Switzerland ; 
English no good ; all gum and sticky stuff ; make fingers 
dirty ; all wash out ; leave nothing.' In the South Sea and 
Sandwich Islands, and in the Malay Peninsula, the natives 
make the same complaints as to the Manchester cottons. 
At Hongkong some of the large shops had fifty expen- 
sive English ships' compasses on hand ; they were all 
quite unsaleable owing to the liquid having gone bad, in 
consequence of its not having been properly prepared. 
Some American compasses of the same quality were in good 
order and not in the least affected by the climate. It will 
be a bad day when the confidence in England's honesty as 
a nation throughout the world, and consequently her well- 
earned supremacy in commerce, have passed away. The 
burden, unfortunately, will not fall on the heads of the 
offenders alone, but, as usual, the innocent will suffer with 
and for the guilty. 

After four o'clock we came near two steamers lying at 
anchor, and were shortly afterwards boarded by the captain 
of the port, the health officer, and sundry other functionaries. 
After a short delay we dropped anchor, and just as the sun 
was setting in ' purple and gold ' behind the mountains of 
Arabia, we went ashore in the steam launch. We landed 
at the Canal Company's Office, in front of which there is a 
bust of Lieutenant Waghorn, the inaugurator of the over- 
land route. 

At the office, the ' Sunbeam ' was entered on the Com- 
pany's books, and arrangements were made with the chief 
pilot for to-morrow, while the children amused themselves 
by riding a pony up and down, and jumping over the 



4C4 A DESERT WIND. 

little brooks, and I strolled about admiring the enormous 
growth of the vegetation since we were here last in 1869. 
We next steamed five miles further on to the town of Suez, 
and landed opposite the big hotel, which is more uncom- 
fortable than ever. The rooms are dirty, and the cooking 
execrable. 

There is nothing to see at Suez, but still we went for a 
ramble to see that nothing. We cleared our boxes and our 
letters, and then went on ankle deep in sand to the one 
European house, the railway station, the Arab quarter and 
the bazaars, where it is occasionally possible to pick up 
rather interesting little curiosities brought by the pilgrims 
from Mecca and Medina. 

Thursday, April 26th. — Such a sunrise as this morning's 
you could only see in Arabia or Egypt. There is a pecu- 
liarity about desert colouring at sunrise and sunset that 
can never be seen anywhere else. We had sundry visitors 
during the early morning, and before ten o'clock we were in 
the Canal and steaming on at regulation speed. As the sun 
rose the heat became intense, o,6°in the shade under double 
awnings. So far from there being a cool breeze to temper 
it, a hot wind blew from the desert, like the blast from a 
furnace. I stood on the bridge as long as I could bear the 
heat, to look at the strange desert view, which could be 
seen to great advantage in going through at the top of high 
water. Sand, sand everywhere ; here a train of camels, 
there a few Arab tents, now a whole party shifting their 
place of abode ; a group of women washing, or a drove of 
buffaloes in a small tributary stream. After going about 
eight miles we stopped at a gare (as the stopping-places 
are called) to allow three vessels to pass. One was a fine 
steamer belonging to the Ducal Line ; the others were a 
Dutch and a German boat (one, the Friesland, has been 
since wrecked off Cape Finisterre, in December 1877). 
The cleanliness and general smartness of the former pre- 
sented a great contrast to her companions, on which the 



THE SUEZ CANAL. 465 

passengers looked very hot and uncomfortable. The centre 
part of each vessel was crowded with a large number of 
Dutch or German boys, going out as soldiers to Acheen, 
who certainly did not appear to be enjoying their voyage. 

We passed Chaloux and reached Ismailia just at nine 
o'clock, not without considerable effort on the part of the 
pilot. A steam launch came off from the shore, and we 
(children and all) landed at once ; and, after a moonlight 
donkey ride, dined at the excellent Hdtel de Paris, kept 
by an old Frenchman. Table-d 'hote was over, but they 
gave us a capital little dinner by ourselves. The children 
and I, and some of the gentlemen, start to-morrow, over- 
land via Cairo, to join the yacht at Alexandria, in order 
that they may see the Pyramids. It was a glorious night 
as we rowed off to the yacht under the bright beams of the 
full moon, and the air, too, was quite fresh and cool— a 
most refreshing change from the noontide heat 

The traffic on the Canal has increased during the last 
few years, and especially during the last few months ; 
on an average four or five ships passed through every 
day. To-day they took 6,000/. at the Suez Office alone. 
They have an excellent plan of the Canal there, and little 
models of ships, which are arranged according to the tele- 
grams constantly received, so that the chief officers at each 
end of the Canal know exactly where every ship is. Instant 
information is of course sent of any stoppage or any acci- 
dent, but these occur comparatively seldom. Some time 
ago M. Lesseps bought a small canal partially stopped up 
leading from the Nile at Cairo to Ismailia. It has been 
widened and deepened, and was opened a few weeks ago 
with great ceremony and grand doings. Now any vessel 
not drawing more than fourteen feet -can go direct from 
Suez or Port Said to Cairo. If we had had time, we might 
have done it in the yacht, and lain at anchor almost under 
the shadow of the Pyramids of Cheops. The special object 
of the new canal is to make Cairo and Ismailia Egyptian 



466 CHANGES EFFECTED BY IRRIGATION. 

ports as well as Alexandria, thereby saving much land car- 
riage and labour of shifting. Already several ships laden 
with grain, from Upper Egypt, have availed themselves of 
this new means of communication. 

Friday, April 27th. — Another glorious sunrise. The 
pilot was on board at 5 a.m., and the Dhebash with fish, 
strawberries, and fresh vegetables. This is a beautiful 
climate, though there is scarcely any rain ; only one very 
slight shower has occurred during the last three years at 
Suez, but the soil of the desert after the Nile overflow 
brings forth tenfold. 

The ' Sunbeam ' was to start at eight o'clock, as soon as 
a large vessel had passed up from Port Said , There are only 
certain places in the Canal where vessels can pass one 
another, so one ship is always obliged to wait for another. 
We landed at half-past seven. The sun was already blazing 
with a burning fury, and we found it very hot riding up to 
the hotel on donkeys. We had an excellent breakfast at 
the same comfortable hotel, paid a very moderate bill, and 
left by the eleven o'clock train for Cairo. We stopped at 
Zag-a-zig for an hour for luncheon in a nice cool dark room, 
and started again about three o'clock. The change in the 
face of the country since we were here eight years ago is 
something extraordinary. A vast desert of sand has been 
transformed into one large oasis of undulating fields of 
waving corn, where there used to be nothing but whirlwinds 
of sand. All this has been effected by irrigation. The 
wealth of Egypt ought greatly to increase. How the people 
managed to live before is a mystery. Now every field is 
full of labourers reaping and stacking the corn, women 
gleaning, and in some places the patient, ugly black buffa- 
loes ploughing the stubble for fresh crops. 

At half-past six we reached Cairo, and were conveyed 
in a large char-a-bancs to what was formerly Shepherd's 
Hotel, now partly rebuilt and much altered for the better. 
Even in that short drive we could see that the face of the 



CAIRO. 467 



capital of Egypt had altered as much as the country, though 
I am not sure that it is so greatly improved. After a 
refreshing dip in cool marble baths and a change of gar- 
ments, we went down to the large table-dlidte. Then we 
sat in the verandah looking on the street until we became 
tired of doing nothing, after which we started for a stroll 
in the Ezkebieh gardens close by. They are beautifully 
laid out for evening promenade ; but although the flowers 
are lovely, and the turf, thanks to constant waterings, is 
deliciously green, all the large trees have been cut down. 
There is no seclusion, no shade, which seems a pity in a 
country where the greatest desire of life is shelter from 
the noonday heat. To-night both Arab and French bands 
were playing within the enclosure, and it was pleasant 
enough listening to Offenbach's music under the beams of 
the full moonlight. Few people appeared to appreciate it, 
however, for the gardens were nearly empty ; but then the 
season is over, and every one has fled before the coming heat. 
Saturday, April 2%tk. — We had settled to start at six 
o'clock this morning to visit the Pyramids, an excursion 
which had been for some little time eagerly looked forward 
to and talked about by the younger members of our party. 
The morning was cold and grey, a strong northerly wind 
was blowing, and the change from the weather which had 
prevailed but a few hours previously was altogether most 
striking and unexpected. We drove rapidly through the 
streets and the outskirts of the town, where old houses are 
being pulled down and new ones rapidly built up, and where 
a general air of new bricks and old rubbish pervades the 
scene. Then we crossed the Nile by a handsome iron 
bridge, and saw the Palace of Gezireh, where the Prince of 
Wales and his suite were lodged. We passed the railway 
extension works, and, to the great delight of the children, 
saw two elephants busily employed, one of which was being 
made to lie down to enable his mahout to dismount. Soon 
the little ones gave a shout of ' The Pyramids ! ' and there 



468 THE PYRAMIDS. 



before us stood those grand monuments of a nameless 
founder, which for centuries have stood out in the sands of 
the desert, while the burning African sun and the glorious 
African moon have risen and set on their heavenward- 
pointing summits for countless days and nights. Even the 
earth has changed her position so much since they were 
erected that the pole star no longer sheds its light in a 
direct line through the central passages, as it did when 
first they were designed. 

We drove along under avenues of now leafless trees to 
the foot of the hill on which the Pyramids are situated. 
Here everybody was turned out to walk except Muriel and 
me, and a tremendous tug the horses had to drag even us 
two up to the real foot of the Pyramids. On arriving we 
were at once surrounded by a crowd of Arabs. They are 
certainly a fine-looking lot of men, rather clamorous for 
backshish, and anxious to sell their curiosities, real or imita- 
tion. They were, however, good-natured, civil, and obliging, 
and amused me much during the hour I spent alone with 
them while the rest of the party were ascending and de- 
scending the Pyramids. Many could speak several languages 
quite fluently, and almost all of them took a good deal of 
interest in the war, and the prospects of success on either 
side ; while many had a fair knowledge of the geography 
of Europe. While all the rest were on the top of the one 
large Pyramid, a man ran down from the summit and up 
to the top of the next smaller one (which is, however, 
more difficult to ascend) in 'eight minutes for a franc.' 
This feat was repeated several times by different men, but 
it really occupied nearer ten minutes. 

We ate some bread and wine, bought a few curiosities, 
and then drove back to the city, feeling very cold and shivery 
and regretting the wraps we had left behind. We reached 
the hotel just in time for twelve o'clock table-d'hdte break- 
fast, and, after an acceptable rest, sallied forth again, this 
time on donkeys to see the bazaars and the sunset from the 



THE BAZAARS. 469 



citadel. We went across squares and gardens and through 
wide streets, for, alas ! Cairo is being rapidly Haussmann- 
ised. For the capitalist or resident, Cairo may be improved, 
but for the traveller, the artist, the lover of the picturesque, 
the quaint, and the beautiful, the place is ruined. Cairo as 
a beautiful and ancient oriental city has ceased to exist, and 
is being rapidly transformed intc a bad imitation of modern 
Paris, only with bluer skies, a mo»e brilliant sun, and a 
more serene climate than it is possible to find in Europe. 
Only a few narrow streets and old houses are still left, 
with carved wooden lattices, where you can yet dream that 
the ' Arabian Nights ' are true. 

We went to the gold and silver bazaar, and bought 
some quaint silver jewellery from Assouan, Soudan, and 
Abyssinia ; then through the Turkish bazaar, the saddlery 
bazaars, past mosques and old houses, till at length we 
emerged into new squares and new streets, before climb- 
ing the hill to the citadel, the Viceroy's palace, and the 
splendid Mosque of Mehemet Ali, built of Egyptian 
alabaster. The view from the terrace is superb, over city, 
desert, river, palm-trees, and Pyramids. The sunset this 
evening was a disappointment ; yellow, cold, and watery, 
a strong north wind bringing up all the sand from the 
desert. We returned to the hotel for dinner, and were all 
glad to go early to bed. 

Sunday, April 2<)tk. — The children and I went to the 
English church, a semi-Gothic building, without a single 
window which could open. Though the church was nearly 
empty, the air felt like that of an exhausted receiver, and 
made one gasp. In the cool of the afternoon we drove 
through Roulai, where the museum stands, in a beautiful 
garden close by the riverside, amid flowers in full bloom. 

After an early meal (hardly to be called dinner) we 
went to the station, just as all the people were going for 
a drive to Shoubrah in the smartest carriages and the 
prettiest toilets. 



470 HAJ ABDULLAH. 



Our journey to Alexandria in the evening was cool and 
pleasant. A huge break met us, and we drove to Abbat's 
Hotel — considerably improved since our last visit in 1869. 

Monday, April 30/& — Got up at 5 a.m. After a deli- 
ciously soft but very muddy bath, I went for a donkey ride 
before breakfast with Mabelle. Tom arrived from the 
yacht in time for twelve o'clock breakfast, and announced 
the voyage from Port Said to have been rough and un- 
pleasant 

We called on the Consul, the Vice-Consul, and our old 
friend, Consul Burton of Trieste, Haj Abdullah. He has 
just returned from a journey through the ancient land 
of Midian, undertaken at the special request of the Viceroy. 
He describes the expedition as having been most suc- 
cessful ; the climate is almost perfect from September to 
May ; the land is well watered by little streams flowing 
through fertile valleys, and full of fragrant flowers and 
luscious fruits. The corn reaches above the camel-men's 
heads, which means a height of fourteen or fifteen feet. 
But the mineral wealth of the country is its most extraordi- 
nary feature. He found traces of gold in the sand of the 
river-beds, in spots pointed out to him by his fellow-pilgrims 
on the way to Mecca twenty years ago, to say nothing of 
tin, iron, &c. Perhaps the most interesting part of his dis- 
covery was the remains of eight ruined cities with traces 
in the dry river-beds of stone-crushing and gold-seeking 
apparatus, which must have been used centuries ago. He 
is writing a book on the subject, which you may perhaps 
see before you read this. 

The Consul kindly sent a janissary with us to show us 
the Sultan's palace. It is large and bare of furniture ; and 
the general style of decoration is like that of the palaces 
at Cherniga and Dolma Batscher. Thence we went to see 
Pompey's Pillar and Cleopatra's Needle, the dahabeas ready 
to go up the Nile, &c. ; and returned to the hotel in time 
for dinner and a chat afterwards in the cool courtyard. 



CLEVER APES. w 



Tuesday, May \st. — I wrote from 3 a.m. to 6.30 a.m., in 
order to send letters off by the French mail, and at seven 
Mabelle and I sallied forth on donkeys to visit the market 
There was not much to see, however, everything being 
so crowded and jammed up, meat, fish, vegetables, and 
fruit, all close together. The crowd was amusing, as all 
the European householders had negroes or Arabs following 
them, laden with their purchases. We found some lovely 
flowers in a street near the market, and then we went on 
to the big gold and silver bazaar, and to the Turkish and 
Syrian bazaars, where we saw all the specialities of Con- 
stantinople, and Broussa, Damascus, and Jerusalem laid 
out before us. After breakfast, the antics of two enormous 
apes, who came round on a donkey, accompanied by a 
showman and a boy, amused the children much. They were 
hideously ugly, but the cleverest monkeys I ever saw. 
They went through a regular little play, quarrelled with 
one another; the man and the boy rode the ape, and 
made him kick ; at last the ape was hurt, and lay fainting 
in the man's arms, limp and languid, just able to sip a 
little water ; then he died, and dropped down stiff, with 
his eyes shut. His tail was pulled, his lips and eyelids 
were forced open, but he never winked an eyelid or 
moved a hair of his whiskers. He was thrown about from 
side to side, remaining perfectly motionless till, at a sign 
from his master, he jumped up as well as ever, shouldered 
his gun, and mounted his ass to take his departure. He 
was promptly ordered to dismount and ask for backshish, 
which he did, cap in hand. Some of the crowd round about 
not contributing to his master's satisfaction, the ape took 
a nasty venomous-looking little snake out of a bag which 
he carried over his shoulder, and threw it among the by- 
standers, to their great consternation. 

At two o'clock we went to lunch with the Consul, and 
what a pleasant lunch it was, prepared by a French cook, 
and eaten in a cool, airy, and shady room, free from flies 



472 A PLEASANT PARTY. 

which were kept out by fine wire gauze placed in front of 
each well-shaded door and window ! The table was one 
mass of the roses for which Alexandria is so famous. Every- 
body had wandered about the world more or less, everybody 
was in good spirits, and we laughed and chatted and talked 
sense or nonsense as the fancy took us, till it was time to 
go on board the yacht en masse, and receive some visitors 
at tea. A few had arrived before us, but the children 
and some others of the party were on board and had 
been doing the honours and showing them round. About 
5.30 p.m. our last guests departed, and all was ready for a 
start ; but, alas ! we had to wait for an absent steward, who 
had gone in search of the always late linen, that plague 
of the poor yachtsman's life when he has a large party on 
board. The sun was sinking fast, the wind was blowing 
fresh and fair, and if we did not start soon it would be 
impossible to do so at all, and a night's work of more than 
120 miles would be lost. At last the welcome boat was 
seen coming from the shore ; we unmoored, and went ahead 
for about an hour. But the light gradually faded away ; it 
became impossible to distinguish the beacon ; the sand 
banks are numerous, and there are no lights. It was only 
endangering the ship and the lives of all on board to pro- 
ceed; so the order was reluctantly given, 'Hard a-port. 
Round she went in her own length almost, and very soon 
we let go the anchor just outside our old moorings, and 
spent the night, after all, in the harbour of Alexandria. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

' HOME.' 

She comes, majestic with her swelling sails. 
The gallant bark along her watery way , 
Homeward she drives before the favouring gales. 
Now flitting at their length the streamers fly, 
And now they ripple with the ruffling breeze. 

Wednesday, May 2nd. — Steam was up at five o'clock,, 
the wind being still fair but light. Soon it dropped to a calm. 





and then went round and blew 
with great force exactly in 
the opposite direction, dead 
-1| ahead. The fires had to be put out, for 
it was so rough we could do no good' 
steaming against the gale. The screw 
Homeward Bound. \r^pt racing round and shaking the vessel 
terribly. Of course I was very ill ; but the maids did not; 
mind, and the children rather enjoyed the tumbling about 
and the water on deck. We continued scudding along 
through the water, but not making much progress on our 
course 

Thursday, May ird. — The wind kept on increasing, and 
at last blew quite a gale. We have gone a long way out 



474 ISLAND OF CRETE. 

of our course to the northward, ready for a favourable 
change, but we can scarcely make any way to the west- 
ward. 

Friday, May ^th. — A repetition of yesterday — 

Beating, beating all the day, 
But never a bit ahead. 

Saturday, May tyh. — A lull at last, and we are able to 
lhave the fires lighted and to steam on our course. We made 
the Island of Scarpanto in the morning. All the after- 
noon and evening we have been steaming along ten miles 
to the southward of Crete. Its outline was very beautiful, 
surmounted by the snow-capped mountains. I was up on 
-deck just in time to behold the most lovely sunset, with 
exquisite rosy, purple, and crimson tints on sea and sky. 

I have not quite got over my attack in Cairo yet, and 
Cor the last three days have been completely laid up with 
a various mixture of land illness and sea sickness. We 
stopped steaming late in the day, but fires were lighted 
again in the middle of the night, as the wind was still ahead. 
There was a discussion whether or not to go round the north 
■side of the Island of Kandia, so as to have a glimpse of the 
British Fleet at anchor in Suda Bay, if they have already 
arrived there. 

Sunday, May 6th, and Monday, May yth. — Early in 
the morning the snowy mountains of Crete were still in 
sight. Service was held as usual at eleven, but it was too 
rough in the afternoon for it to be repeated. 

Sail and steam, wind and calm, alternated with one 
another all day. Tom is anxious to sail every mile he can, 
and yet not to lose any unnecessary time, and finds it 
.exceedingly difficult to combine these two objects. 

Tuesday, May 8t/i. — A fine morning, with a cold strong 

' head breeze. At noon we rejoiced to think that Malta was 

not more than a few miles ahead, or we should assuredly 

Aave failed to reach our port before nightfall. About three 



OUR OLD QUARTERS. 



47* 



we closed in with the land about Marsa Scirocco and Dela- 
mara Point, and, after one or two tacks, rounded the Point 
of Ricasole, and leaving Port St. Elmo on our right, we 
swiftly glided into the grand harbour of Valetta. We have 
been here so often that it feels quite like reaching home. 
We soon found ourselves in our old quarters in the Dockyard 
Creek, and had scarcely moored before one of the officers, 
came on board with the 
usual complimentary offers 
of assistance, whilst directly 
afterwards came an invita- 
tion to a farewell ball at the 
Palace, given to the Duke 
of Edinburgh. Our old 
boatman, Bubbiy Joe, took 
us ashore to dinner, and we 
found everything looking 
as bright and cheerful and 
steep as it always does and 
always will do ; not the 
least bit altered or modern- 
ised. The landlord of the 
H6tel d'Angleterre was de- 
lighted to see us again, and 
so were his servants, who 
came flocking from all parts 
of the house, nearly pulling 
the children to pieces, and 
plying our own servants with questions in their anxiety to> 
know all about us. 

We had to go back on board the yacht to dress, and 
then return for the ball, by which time I was so thoroughly 
tired, and had so bad a headache, that I could not enjoy 
it much, pleasant as it was. Very soon after supper we 
came away and had a charming row across the harbour to* 
our snug quarters on board the ' Sunbeam.' These sudden 




Faldetta, Malta. 



476 H.M.S. 'SULTAN. 



bursts of dissipation on shore are a delightful change after 
days and weeks at sea. 

Wednesday, May gi/i. — I was up soon after sunrise and 
admired this often-abused creek as much as I always do. 
The stone houses, the carved and coloured verandahs of 
bright flowers, the water lapping the very door-steps, the 
gaily painted boats with their high prows at either end, the 
women in their black dresses and faldettas, and black-robed 
priests, all helped to carry the imagination over the Medi- 
terranean and up the Adriatic to lovely Venice. At this 
hour in the morning there were not many English soldiers 
or sailors to spoil the illusion. 

Malta is essentially a border-land — African by geogra- 
phical configuration, European politically, and assuredly 
Asiatic in its language, its buildings, and in the manners 
and customs of the natives. We gave everybody on board 
a holiday, and the chance of a run ashore to-day to stretch 
their legs after their long sea voyage. Tom went on board 
the ' Sultan ' to see the Duke of Edinburgh and his splendid 
ship. Whilst at breakfast I received an intimation that 
the Duke of Edinburgh wished to come and examine the 
yacht. His Royal Highness arrived soon afterwards, quite 
unattended, in a beautiful ten-oared barge, and paid us a 
long visit, inspecting the yacht minutely and looking at 
all the pets. He took a great interest in our voyage and 
courses, as well as in the numerous curiosities, knowing at 
once from what place each had been procured. The Duke, 
who had taken very nearly the same cruise himself in 
the ' Galatea ' a few years ago, inquired very kindly after 
all his old friends at Tahiti, Hilo, Honolulu, and many 
other places. The Duke is very kind to everybody here. 
He is much liked by his brother officers in the squadron, 
and both H.R.H. and the Duchess seem to have made 
themselves most popular here during the winter. The 
officers of the ' Sultan,' several of whom are old friends of 
&urs, appear to think themselves fortunate indeed in having 



VALETTA. 



477 



such a commanding officer, whilst on shore his approaching 
departure is universally regretted. Everybody seems full of 
their Royal Highnesses' winter ball, which must have been 
a most brilliant affair. 

After the Duke's departure we went ashore again, 
called on various friends before luncheon, and went over 
the palace and through the armoury. Then we took a walk 
down the Strada Reale, the shopping street of Valetta, 
until it was time to go on board to receive some friends 
to tea. The shops are full of coral, lace, gold and silver 




Armoury in the Governor a Palace Valetta 

filigree work, and a new sort of lace they make in Gozo, 
of white silk, in beautiful patterns. It has been manu- 
factured only during the last few years, and varies much in 
quality and design. Some forty or fifty friends came on 
board and amused themselves looking at our curiosities 
and photographs until long past the dinner hour. We had 
to hurry on shore to dine, and go afterwards to the Opera 
Manoel. The new Grand Opera House is not to be 
opened until next October. It had been blowing fresh and 



478 AN OCEAN HIGHWAY. 

strong from the westward all day, but to-night, as we rowed 
across the harbour, the breeze had dropped to a flat calm, 
and Tom is most anxious to be oft" at daybreak. 

Thursday, May loth. — I was up before sunrise. A fresh 
fair wind was blowing, and as soon as the children could be 
got ready we all went ashore to the market, which was 
crowded with people, and full of fish, meat, and all spring 
vegetables and fruit. We were to start at 6.30, so there 
was no time to lose, and laden with lovely bouquets of 
flowers we hastened on board; but it was nine o'clock, after 
all our haste, before we were fairly off, through some mis- 
take about the bill of health. 

Malta is certainly the most delightful place for yacht- 
ing winter quarters, with its fine healthy harbour, charming 
society, very cheap living, and abundance of everything 
good. It is in proximity to many pleasant places, and most 
interesting excursions can easily be made to Sicily and Italy, 
or the coast of Africa. To-day we glided along the coast, 
past the strongly fortified little island of Consino, standing 
boldly out in mid-channel between Malta and Gozo. The 
Mediterranean appears to us a highway after the lonely 
oceans and seas we have been sailing over. Within one hour 
this morning, we saw more ships than in the whole of our 
passage from Valparaiso to Tahiti and Yokohama. Towards 
the evening we could see the island of Pantellaria in the 
distance. We retain a lively remembrance of it from 
having been becalmed just off it in the ' Albatross ' for 
three weary days and nights. It was after this and a long 
series of other vexations and delays that Tom and I regis- 
tered a vow never to go a long voyage again in a yacht 
without at least auxiliary steam power. 

Friday, May nth. — At 2.30 a.m. Pantellaria was abeam. 
At five the homeward-bound P. and O. steamer passed 
us quite close, and at six we met the outward-bound P. 
and O. steamer. At eight we passed Cape Bon and sailed 
across the mouth of the Bay of Tunis, in the centre of which 



MORTALITY AMOAG THE PETS. 479 

is Goletta, the port of Tunis, the site of the ancient city of 
Carthage. Once we anchored close by that place for two 
or three days, and on that occasion I collected enough 
varieties of marble and mosaic from the old palaces to make 
some beautiful tables when we got home. In the afternoon 
and evening we made the Fratelli and the Sorelle Rocks, 
and still later the little Island of Galita. There were 
many steamers going in all directions, and it struck one 
very forcibly how much this little islet in mid-channel 
stands in need of a light. 

Sunday May i^th. — The wind was dead ahead, and 
the sea of that remarkably confused character for which the 
Mediterranean is famous. It seemed as if the wind of 
yesterday, the wind of to-morrow, and the wind of to-day. 
had all met and were bent on making a night of it. We 
had service at eleven and four. The chart, now a good old 
friend, for it has been used by us on so many Mediterranean 
voyages, showed that this is the fourth noontide we have 
spent within a radius of thirty miles of this particular 
spot ; within a radius of sixty miles we have spent at least 
three weeks of our lives at various periods. This does not 
of course include voyages in steamers which are not 
recorded in the chart. 

Monday, May 14///. — About breakfast time to-day we 
crossed the meridian of Greenwich ; and this virtually com- 
pleted our voyage round the world, our original point of 
departure having really been Rochester, which is a few 
minutes to the east of Greenwich. The wind changed in 
the middle of the day, and we passed through a large fleet 
of merchantmen hove-to under shelter of Cape de Gat, 
where they had collected, I suppose, from various ports in 
Spain and Italy. 

Tuesday, May i^th. — This was a somewhat sad day, 
many of our pets dying from the effects of the cold wind 
or from accidents. The steward's mocking-bird from Siam, 
which talked like a Christian and followed him about like a 



480 GIBRALTAR. 



dog, died of acute bronchitis early this morning; and his 
monkey, the most weird little creature, with the affectionate 
ways of a human friend, died in the afternoon, of inflamma- 
tion and congestion of the lungs. Two other monkeys 
and several birds also expired in the course of the day. 

This evening ' Beau Brummel,' the little pig I brought 
from Bow Island, in the South Pacific, died of a broken 
spine, as the doctor, who made a post-mortem examination 
in each case, discovered. A spar must have dropped upon 
poor piggy accidentally whilst he was running about on 
deck, though of course no one knew anything about it 
I am very sorry ; for though I must confess he was some- 
what greedy and pig-like in his habits, he was extremely 
amusing in his ways. He ran about and went to sleep with 
the pugs, just like one of themselves. Besides, I do not 
think any one else in England could have boasted of a pig 
given to them by a South-Sea-Island chief. Probably 
' Beau Brummel ' was a lineal descendant of the pigs 
Captain Cook took out in the ' Endeavour.' 

The bodies were all placed together in a neat little box 
and committed to the deep at sunset, a few tears being shed 
over the departed pets, especially by the children. 

Tuesday, May i$th. — Cape de Gat was abeam early 
this morning. The wind fell light, but Tom hoped it 
would freshen again ; otherwise, with steam we might easily 
have got into Gibraltar to-night. As it was, fires were not 
lighted until ten o'clock. 

Wednesday, May 16th. — At 3 a.m. I was called to 
see the light on Europa Point, and stayed on deck to watch 
the day dawn and the rising of the sun. It was not, how- 
ever, a very agreeable morning ; the Levanter was blowing, 
the signal station was enveloped in mist, the tops of the 
mountains of Africa were scarcely discernible above the 
clouds, and Ceuta and Ape's Hill were invisible. Alge- 
ciras and San Roque gleamed white on the opposite 
shore of the bay, while the dear old Rock itself looked 



FLO VVER- GIRLS. 4S 1 



fresher and cleaner than usual, exhaling a most delicious 
perfume of flowers. As the sun rose, the twitterings of 
the birds in the Alameda sounded most homelike and de- 
lightful. 

We had dropped our anchor inside the New Mole about 
4.30, and before six the familiar sounds of English martial 
music could be heard from all the different barracks, as 
the regiments came marching down the hill and along the 
Alameda to the north front with all their baggage, military 
trains, tents, and ambulances, for a day's camping out We 
were anxious to get on shore to see about coals, water, and 
provisions, but no health-boat came near us. About seven 
o'clock we started in despair, first to hail a policeman on 
shore (at a most respectful distance), to inquire where wc 
could get pratique ; then we procured it, and sent word 
back to the ' Sunbeam ' that she was out of quaran- 
tine, and might hoist the yellow flag. We landed, went 
to the market, bought some lovely carnations stuck in a 
prickly-pear leaf to keep them fresh, and then went to the 
Hotel Royal — kept by the landlord of the old Club House 
Hotel, where we had so often stayed — to order breakfast 
Our old friends the servants greeted us at every step from 
the house-door to the coffee-room, and we were taken 
special care of by a waiter who remembered us. After 
breakfast we went to pay some visits. We thought we 
ought to go and look at the galleries and Signal Station, 
as one or two of our party had never been here before ; so 
we started, some on foot and some on donkeys. All the 
way up the steep streets to the Moorish castle, girls met us, 
selling lovely scarlet carnations and yellow roses. The 
galleries have not changed in the least since our last visit 
but our soldier-guide told us they were daily expecting some 
big guns to come out, and he gave us a minute explanation 
how they were to be mounted. It was a pleasant ride, 
neither too hot nor too cold. Every crevice and interstice 
between the rocks was full of wild flowers, looking bright 



NEARLY ASHORE. 



and pretty, though somewhat insignificant after the gorgeous 
tropical blossoms our eyes have been lately accustomed to. 
The fog had cleared off, and the view was beautiful ; ships 
lay in the bay below us from all parts, including a Portu- 
guese gunboat. We saw also one of the two old eagles 
sitting near her nest in the accustomed place ; this year she 
has only one young one. We did not see the monkeys, on 
account of the Levanter, but their number has increased to 
twenty-four, so that there is no immediate fear of their 
becoming extinct. 




Tangier. 

At half-past six p.m. we weighed anchor and steamed 
out of the anchorage inside the New Mole. In the straits 
the wind was fair, so the funnel was soon lowered, and the 
screw feathered, and we were racing along under sail alone. 
Off Tarifa we found quite a gale blowing, and the wind 
continued fresh and fair throughout the night. 

Thursday, May ijth. — The strong fair wind dropped, 
and then came dead ahead, and off Cadiz we had to get up 
steam. There was a strong wind off the mountains near Cape 
Sagres, and while Tom was below and the men were busy 
reefing the sails, we nearly ran ashore. Luckily I noticed our 



ROLLING MOTION SQUARE. 4«3 

danger and called Tom, who came up just in time to alter 
the helm, when the yacht went round like a top, though 
the shore was too close to be pleasant. It only shows how 
easily an accident may occur. Both our fishermen-mates 
could not bear to be idle, and always considered looking 
out an insignificant occupation, and so neglected that im- 
portant duty to assist with the sails. 

Off Cape St. Vincent it blew so hard that we were afraid 
we should be obliged to bring up in the bay of Sagres ; but 
we found that it was only a land breeze, and that it was 
much smoother outside than we had expected. 

Friday, May i8t/i. — Fresh breeze. We met many 
steamers going down the coast with all sail set. After 
passing Cape Espichel the wind increased to a northerly 
gale, against which it was impossible to proceed. \\e 
therefore put into Lisbon. The mountains at the mouth 
of the Tagus, the tower and church of Belem, and the 
noble river itself looked even more beautiful in the sunset 
than my recollection led me to expect. We soon landed 
and had an excellent dinner at the Hotel Braganza, where 
we had stayed before, and where we were at once recognised 
and cordially received by the same landlord and landlady 
we remembered in 1S61. 

After dinner we went for a walk. One of the things we 
saw during our stroll was the fine statue of Luiz de Camoens, 
specially interesting to us, as we had so recently seen the 
place where he passed many of the weary years of his 
exile. Rolling Motion Square was as giddy as ever. It 
was a curious fancy to pave it in such a way as to make 
it look like the waves of the sea, perpetually moving ; and 
it must be a severe trial to the peripatetic powers of those 
who have not quite recovered their sea legs. 

Saturday, May igt/i. — We were off early ; it was a 
lovely day, and we had a pleasant drive to Cintra. On 
our arrival we mounted donkeys and went to Pefia, the 
beautiful palace of the ex-King Ferdinand, situated at 



*84 



CINTRA. 



the top of the mountains. It is an extraordinary-looking 
place, the different parts being built in every imaginable 
style of architecture, with exquisite carving and old tiles, 
that would delight the heart of a connoisseur. One of 
the most prominent objects near the Palace of Pefla is the 
statue of Vasco da Gama, nobly placed on a pedestal of 
natural rocks, piled on the summit of a mountain peak, and 




Vr.s'-.i da Gama. 



worthy of the adventurous traveller it is erected to com- 
memorate. The gardens are full of camellias, roses, 
bougainvillea, &c. We lunched at the excellent hotel, 
and came to the conclusion that Cintra is the place, not 
only ' to spend a happy day,' but many happy months. It 
is always pleasant to revisit places of which you have 



BELEM. a% 



agreeable reminiscences, and to find your expectations sur- 
passed instead of disappointed. 

We had a hot drive back to Lisbon, and then went by 
tram to Belem, where we spent some time in the church 
and in wandering through its exquisite cloisters. The first 
stone was laid in 1500, and the name changed from Bairro 
de Restello to Belem or Bethlehem by Prince Henry of 
Portugal, the great promoter of maritime discovery in 




Bslem tfloioter Gardens 



that century. It was built specially to commemorate the 
successful voyage of Vasco da Gama, who returned from 
the discovery of India in 1499. 

Tom met us with the yacht, and we went on board 
with the intention of proceeding straight to sea. But after 
passing through the Canal del Norte a heavy gale obliged 
us to anchor in Cascaes Bay for the night, not far from a 
small schooner yacht with three ladies on board. It was 



486 ENGLAND IN SIGHT ONCE MORE. 

rather rough, and we were very tired, or I think we should 
have ventured to pay them a visit, even at that late hour. 
It is absurd to stand upon ceremony when travelling ; but 
I scarcely know what the strict etiquette would be on such 
an occasion — whether they, as first anchored in the bay, 
should call on us, or we on them, as probably the gi'eater 
travellers and out longer at sea. 

Sunday, May 20th. — Weighed at 5 a.m. There was 
a dense fog off Cape del Roca, and the steam-whistle, fog- 
horns, and bell were constantly kept going, with lugubrious 
effect We had service at eleven and 4.30. Passed the 
Burlings at 1.30. Heavy swell all day. 

Monday, May 21st. — Rough and disagreeable. Off 
Viana at noon. Passed Oporto and Vigo in the course of 
the afternoon. 

Tuesday, May 22nd. — If yesterday was bad, to-day 
was worse. We hove to for some time under the shelter of 
Cape Finisterre, then went on again for a short distance ; 
but at 1.30 a.m. on the 23rd we were obliged to put round 
and wait for daylight. 

Wednesday, 2^rd, and Thursday, 2^th. — In the course 
of the day the weather mended, though the sea still con- 
tinued rough, and our course was really in the direction 
of America rather than England. In the evening of 
the 24th we were able to light fires, and, with the assistance 
of steam, to keep nearly on our proper course. 

Saturday, May 26th. — Saw the first English land, the 
Start, at 2.30 a.m. Wind continued fresh and fair, but 
at noon dropped calm, and we had to steam through the 
Needles instead of sailing, as we had done on our way out 
We reached Cowes about 3 p.m., and were immediately 
welcomed by several yachts, who dipped their ensigns and 
fired their guns. We landed, and were warmly greeted by 
many friends, and, after sending off telegrams and letters, 
re-embarked and proceeded towards Hastings. We were 
anxious to land by daylierht, but this was not to be. So it 



WELCOME HOME. 48; 

turned out to be midnight before we reached Beachy Head 
and could discern the lights of Hastings shining in the dis- 
tance. As we drew near to our anchorage we could see two 
boats coming swiftly towards us from the shore. The crews 
were members of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, 
and as they came alongside they raised a shout of welcome. 
Hastings had been expecting us all the afternoon, and late 
as was the hour, 1.30 a.m., we were immediately sur- 
rounded by a fleet of boats, and many willing hands seized 
our heterogeneous cargo and multitudinous packages, and 
before daylight all had been safely landed on the pier. We 



ff 




Out Welcome back off Hasting. 

committed ourselves to the care of the R. N. A. V., and 
landed in their boats, and at 4.30, proceeding to the 
Queen's Hotel, we had a joyous meeting with T. A. B. 
and Maud. 

How can I describe the warm greetings that, met us 
everywhere, or the crowd that surrounded us, not only 
when we landed, but as we came out of church ; how, 
along the whole ten miles from Hastings to Battle, people 
were standing by the roadside and at their cottage doors 
to welcome us ; how the Battle bell-ringers never stopped 
ringing except during service time ; or how the warmest of 
welcomes ended our delightful year of travel and made us 



DULCE DOMUM. 



feel we were at home at last, with thankful hearts for the 
providential care which had watched over us whither- 
soever we roamed ? 

I travell'd among unknown men, 

In lands beyond the sea, 
Nor, England! did I know till then 

What love I bore to thee. 




Home at Last. 



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